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alloy

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology 1

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FromAnglo-Normanalai,fromOld Frenchaloi,fromaloiier,fromLatinalligō.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key):/ˈæ.lɔɪ/,/əˈlɔɪ/
  • Audio(US):(file)
  • Rhymes:-ælɔɪ,-ɔɪ

Noun

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alloy(countableanduncountable,pluralalloys)

  2. Ametalthat is a combination of two or moreelements,at least one of which is a metal, abase metal.
  3. (archaic)A metal of lesser value, mixed with a metal of greater value.
    gold withoutalloy
    • 1888,Arthur Talbot Vanderbilt,Gold Not Only in Wales, But Also in Great Britain and Ireland: Facts and Figures,page17:
      Many of these coins are preserved at the British Museum, in London, and at the Ashmolean Museum, in Oxford, and are all of pure gold, withoutalloy,and in a good state of preservation. Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni, is also said to have[…]
  4. Anadmixture;something added whichstains,taintsetc.
  5. (figurative)Fusion,marriage,combination.
    • 1986,1987 Year Book:
      SETH KITANGE TELEVISION AND RADIO Upheaval at CBS.[…]Bill Moyers, a CBS News commentator and special correspondent, expressed his dismay in an interview with Newsweek in which he said, “Television news has never been pure. It has always been analloyof journalism and show business.”
Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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FromOld Frenchaloiier(“assemble, join”),fromLatinalligare(“bind to, tie to”),compound ofad(“to”)+ligare(“to bind”).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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alloy(third-person singular simple presentalloys,present participlealloying,simple past and past participlealloyed)

  1. Tomixor combine; often used of metals.
  2. Toreducethepurityof bymixingwith alessvaluablesubstance.
    toalloygold with silver or copper, or silver with copper
  3. (figurative)Toimpairordebaseby mixture.
    toalloypleasure with misfortunes
Translations
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See also

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Anagrams

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