amalgaam

Amalgaam is a transliteration variant of the English term amalgam and is used in several languages to denote a substance or concept formed by the mixture or merger of different elements. In practice, the most common reference is to dental amalgam: a material used to fill cavities, created by combining elemental mercury with a powdered alloy of metals such as silver, tin, and copper. The resulting compound is durable and easy to manipulate, though concerns about mercury exposure and environmental impact have led to regulatory changes and a shift toward alternative filling materials, especially in many developed countries.

Amalgams also appear in metallurgy, where mercury is combined with other metals to form an alloy; historically this process has been used in extracting metals such as gold and in certain industrial applications. In business or organizational contexts, the term amalgamation describes the merging or unification of two or more entities into a single coordinated whole, sometimes described in everyday language as an amalgaam of resources or capabilities.

Today, the English spelling "amalgam" is standard, whereas "amalgaam" may be encountered as a localized spelling variant. The general concept—an amalgam—captures both material mixtures and symbolic mergers across disciplines.