tombac noun. ['tɒmbak] E17.
[French from Portuguese tambaca from Malay tembaga copper, brass, perh. from Sanskrit tāmraka copper. Cf. TUMBAGA.]
Metallurgy. A brittle brass alloy originally produced in Indo-China, containing from 72 to 99 per cent of copper and from 1 to 28 per cent of zinc, used in the east for gongs and bells, and in the west for cheap jewellery etc. Also called red brass.
red tombac: containing 97.5 per cent of copper. white tombac: containing arsenic.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲