tombac

[tom-bak]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an alloy, used to imitate gold, containing from 70 to 92 percent copper with zinc and sometimes tin and other materials forming the remainder.

tombac

/ ˈtæmbæk, ˈtɒmbæk /

noun

any of various brittle alloys containing copper and zinc and sometimes tin and arsenic: used for making cheap jewellery, etc

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Word History and Origins

Origin of tombac¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Dutch tombak, from Portuguese tambaca, from Malay tembaga “copper,” from Indo-Aryan (compare Hindi �ٲ�� “copper or brass vessel,” Sanskrit ��峾��첹 “c�Ǳ��”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of tombac¹

C17: from French, from Dutch tombak, from Malay �ٲ��â�� copper, apparently from Sanskrit ��峾��첹, from ��峾�� dark coppery red

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

When a small percentage of zinc is present, the colour of brass is reddish, as in tombac or red brass, which contains about 10%.

From

In this galley there was one cannon made of tombac, a precious sort of metal, which was valued at above 7000 ducats, and another cannon reckoned still more valuable on account of its curious workmanship.

From

Tomba Tombalbaye

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