Phrase guide

purple plague

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

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Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The brittle, bright-purple intermetallic compound AuAl2, formed when gold and aluminium are heated while in direct contact (for instance, if a gold wire is bonded to an aluminium contact pad and experiences heating due to electrical resistance).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: business, chemistry, electrical-engineering, electricity, electromagnetism, electronics, energy, engineering, inorganic-chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The problems caused by the formation of this compound, including the formation of voids in the contact area and the potential for fracture of the gold-aluminium junction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: business, electrical-engineering, electricity, electromagnetism, electronics, energy, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.