Amalgamation - Definition and Overview

Amalgamation, meaning to combine or unite into one form, has several uses:

• In chemistry, amalgamation is the blending of two elements, and usually an amalgam is a metallic alloy with the element mercury, often used in tooth fillings. (See also: metallurgy.) The use of amalgum is subject to some controversy, due to suspicions that poisonous mercury or mercury vapor could leak into the mouth.
• In music, amalgamation is the synthesis of sound events into an inter-parametric unit where parameters act together.
• In business, amalgamation is an older synonym for what is now called consolidation, the result of mergers of companies.
• In politics, it similarly refers to the joining of two or more political units, such as cities, into one.