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alloy.

A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, a base metal.

5 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈæ.lɔɪ//əˈlɔɪ/
  1. A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, a base metal.

    countable · uncountable
  2. A metal of lesser value, mixed with a metal of greater value.

    archaic · countable · uncountable
    gold without alloy
  3. An admixture; something added which stains, taints etc.

    countable · uncountable
  4. A fusion, marriage or combination.

    countable · figuratively · uncountable
Where this word comes from

Borrowed from Middle French alloy, aloy, from Old French aloi, from aloiier, from Latin alligō.

verb/əˈlɔɪ//ˈæ.lɔɪ/
  1. To mix or combine; often used of metals.

    transitive
  2. To reduce the purity of by mixing with a less valuable substance.

    transitive
    to alloy gold with silver or copper, or silver with copper
  3. To impair or debase by mixture.

    figuratively · transitive
    to alloy pleasure with misfortunes
Where this word comes from

Modification of Middle English alayen after Etymology 1, from Middle French allayer, vairant of allier, from Old French allier (“assemble, join”), from Latin alligare (“bind to, tie to”), compound of ad (“to”) + ligare (“to bind”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.