Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An alloy of silver and gold.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A word used by Greek (η%27λεκτρον) and Latin (electrum) authors with various meanings at various times.
  • noun Native argentiferous gold in which the silver amounts to one third or more.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Amber.
  • noun An alloy of gold and silver, of an amber color, used by the ancients.
  • noun German-silver plate. See German silver, under German.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun obsolete Amber.
  • noun An alloy of gold and silver, used by the ancients; now specifically a natural alloy with between 20 and 50 per cent silver.
  • noun German silver plate.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an alloy of gold and silver

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Latin ēlectrum, amber, from Greek ēlektron.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin electrum, from Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ēlektron).

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Examples

  • The left one is electrum, which is poisonous to demons, and the right one is blessed iron, in case I run across any unfriendly vampires or even faeriesfaeries hate iron.

    Cassandra Clare: The Mortal Instrument Series Cassandra Clare 2009

  • The left one is electrum, which is poisonous to demons, and the right one is blessed iron, in case I run across any unfriendly vampires or even faeriesfaeries hate iron.

    The Mortal Instruments: Book One: City of Bones Cassandra Clare 2007

  • A natural alloy of gold containing 20 per cent silver, termed electrum, is the lowest grade of the noble metal.

    Getting Gold: a practical treatise for prospectors, miners and students

  • Silver was found in even greater abundance, both in ornaments and in vessels; besides which there were articles in electrum, which is an amalgam of silver with gold.

    History of Phoenicia George Rawlinson 1857

  • The Septuagint and Vulgate translate it, "electrum";

    Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible 1871

  • When Ramses II was over eighty he celebrated his rejuvenation at the feast of Set, repeating it yearly until he was ninety and more, and displaying his power of rejuvenation to the Gods above in the Obelisks he regularly erected as a memorial, which the aged Pharaoh decorated with electrum at the top so that their brightness should pour over lands of Egypt when the sun was mirrored in them.

    Rebellion in the Land of the Pharaohs Fouad Ajami 2011

  • I believe this means the hoard of treasure on which he sleeps at night is 6 gold pieces, 2 silver, and 3 electrum smaller than first estimated, and that his enchanted Turtleneck of Mediocrity is probably working at only +3 instead of an Industry-Killing +6.

    Dan Brown ebook stats not so crazygonuts 2009

  • As a child, I was filled with wonderment at my first encounter with electrum coins, potions of diminution, and lycanthropic foes.

    From the Dungeon to the Dictionary « Isegoria 2008

  • Every nail used to hammer the beams together is made of silver, iron, or electrum.

    Clockwork Angel Cassandra Clare 2010

  • I thought it was quite pretty until he told me that the fabric is edged with electrum, as sharp as a razor.

    Clockwork Angel Cassandra Clare 2010

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