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Plectrum vs Electrum - What's the difference?

plectrum | electrum |

As nouns the difference between plectrum and electrum

is that plectrum is (anatomy|zoology) an anatomical part resembling a plectrum in shape while electrum is electrum (alloy of gold and silver).

plectrum

English

(wikipedia plectrum)

Alternative forms

* plectron

Noun

(en-noun)
  • (anatomy, zoology) An anatomical part resembling a plectrum in shape.
  • (music) A small piece of plastic, metal, ivory, etc for plucking the strings of a guitar, lyre, mandolin, etc.

    • Synonyms

    * pick (US)

    electrum

    English

    (wikipedia electrum)

    Noun

    (-)
  • (obsolete) Amber.
  • An alloy of gold and silver, used by the ancients; now specifically a natural alloy with between 20 and 50 per cent silver.
  • * 1995 , Paul T. Craddock, Early Metal Mining and Production , page 111:
    • Native gold almost always contains silver in amounts varying widely between 5 and 50 per cent. This natural alloy is known as electrum although in classical antiquity where the word originated it seems to have been used for an artificial alloy of the two metals.
  • * 2002 , Philip Ball, The Elements: A Very Short Introduction , Oxford 2004, p. 45:
    • A natural alloy containing more than 20 per cent silver is called electrum , and was regarded by the ancients as a different metal from gold.
  • German silver plate.