electrum
noun/ɪˈlɛktɹəm/
Etymology From Latin ēlectrum, from Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron).
1
Obsolete 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 for an artificial alloy of the two metals.1995, Paul T. Craddock, Early Metal Mining and Production, page 111:
- 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, published 2004, page 45:
3
German silver plate.