electrum

Amber.

Noun

  1. Amber.
  2. An alloy of gold and silver, used by the ancients; now specifically a natural alloy with between 20 and 50 per cent silver.
    • Native gold almost always contains silver in amounts varying widely between 5 and 50 per cent. This natural alloy is known as electrum although in classical antiquity where the word originated it seems to have been used...
    • A natural alloy containing more than 20 per cent silver is called electrum, and was regarded by the ancients as a different metal from gold. - 2002, Philip Ball, The Elements: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford,...

    Synonyms: argental gold green gold

  3. German silver plate.

Origin

From Latin ēlectrum, from Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron).

Forms

electrums