A type of cupronickel alloy containing copper and nickel, historically used for coins and decorative items.
German compound: 'Bomber' (from English 'bomb') plus 'nickel' (from Swedish 'kopparnickel'). The term originated in German metallurgy, though the etymology of 'bomber' in this context is debated among metallurgists.
This is a mystery in linguistics—nobody's entirely sure why German metallurgists called a copper-nickel alloy 'bombernickel,' but it shows how technical jargon sometimes has unclear origins that even experts debate.
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