Specifically: A machine for separating precious metals from earthy particles by bringing them in contact with a body of mercury with which they form an amalgam
When two or more things, especially organizations, amalgamate or are amalgamated, they become one large thing. The firm has amalgamated with an American company The chemical companies had amalgamated into a vast conglomerate The Visitors' Centre amalgamates the traditions of the Old World with the technology of the New. = merge + amalgamation amalgamations amal·gama·tion Athletics South Africa was formed by an amalgamation of two organisations. = merger