Amalgamates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To unite distinct parts into a singular and cohesive formation
2. Joins different components or ideas to form a single entity
3. Merges various parts together to create an integrated structure

Etymology: "Amalgamates" is the third-person singular present form of "amalgamate," so the story belongs to the verb itself. The base word traces back to Medieval Latin "amalgama," a term for a soft mixture, and the verb "amalgamare" was formed from it, with the past participle "amalgamatus" giving English its verb. The noun "amalgama" has an older and more obscure history. Medieval alchemists and metallurgists used it for a mixture of mercury with another metal, and that sense of blending a metal with mercury remains the literal core of the word. The idea of combining separate things into one whole grew out of this chemical picture, so a verb that once described the working of metals now describes the merging of companies, cultures or ideas.

Synonyms: combines, merges, unites

Antonyms: separates, divides, dissociates