ormolu
UK[ˈɔːməluː]US[ˈɔːrməluː]
n
A gold-colored alloy of copper, zinc, and sometimes tin, used in decoration and for making ornaments and furniture mounts.
n
Articles or decorations made of this alloy.
Etymology
The word 'ormolu' entered English in the mid-18th century from the French term or moulu, which literally means "ground gold." This French phrase originates from the gilding technique where gold leaf was ground into a powder and then mixed with mercury to form an amalgam, which was applied to objects and heated, leaving a gold coating. The English term 'ormolu' came to refer specifically to the decorative gilded bronze or brass alloy that imitated this effect, particularly associated with lavish furniture and clock mounts from the 18th and 19th centuries. Thus, the word's journey captures the history of a specific craft and aesthetic, evolving from a descriptive French phrase for a process into a fixed English noun for the material and its artifacts.
Analysis
This word is a loanword from French, adopted into English as a single, unsegmentable unit. Its spelling and form were directly borrowed.
Examples
The antique clock was adorned with intricate ormolu mounts.
She collects 19th-century furniture featuring fine ormolu inlays.
The restoration involved carefully cleaning the tarnished ormolu decoration.