alloy

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Related to alloy: Aluminum alloy, Titanium alloy

alloy

a lower-quality metal mixed with a more valuable one; to debase, impair, or adulterate; fusion, blend, composite: Coins are often alloys.

Not to be confused with:

allay – soften, assuage: lay to rest or lull into a sense of security: She tried to allay her child’s fears.

alley – a passage, a narrow back street: Our garage is off the back alley.

ally – unify, join; a partner, friend, or confederate: Canada was our ally in World War II.

al·loy

(ăl′oi′, ə-loi′)

1. A metallic solid or liquid that is composed of a homogeneous mixture of two or more metals or of metals and nonmetal or metalloid elements, usually for the purpose of imparting or increasing specific characteristics or properties: Brass is an alloy of zinc and copper.

2. A mixture; an amalgam: "Television news has ... always been an alloy of journalism and show business" (Bill Moyers).

3. The relative degree of mixture with a base metal; fineness.

4. Something added that lowers value or purity.

tr.v. (ə-loi′, ăl′oi′) al·loyed, al·loy·ing, al·loys

1. To combine (metals) to form an alloy.

2. To combine; mix: idealism that was alloyed with political skill.

3. To debase by the addition of an inferior element.

[Alteration (influenced by French aloi) of obsolete allay, from Middle English alay, from Old North French allai, from allayer, to alloy, from Latin alligāre, to bind : ad-, ad- + ligāre, to bind; see leig- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

alloy

1. (Metallurgy) a metallic material, such as steel, brass, or bronze, consisting of a mixture of two or more metals or of metallic elements with nonmetallic elements. Alloys often have physical properties markedly different from those of the pure metals

2. something that impairs the quality or reduces the value of the thing to which it is added

vb (tr)

3. (Metallurgy) to add (one metal or element to another metal or element) to obtain a substance with a desired property

4. to debase (a pure substance) by mixing with an inferior element

5. to diminish or impair

[C16: from Old French aloi a mixture, from aloier to combine, from Latin alligāre, from ligāre to bind]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

al•loy

(n. ˈæl ɔɪ, əˈlɔɪ; v. əˈlɔɪ)

n.

1. a substance composed of two or more metals, or of a metal or metals with a nonmetal, intimately mixed, as by fusion or electrodeposition.

2. a less costly metal mixed with a more valuable one.

3. standard; quality; fineness.

4. admixture, as of good with evil.

5. anything added that serves to reduce quality or purity.

v.t.

6. to mix (metals or metal with nonmetal) so as to form an alloy.

7. to reduce or debase by admixture; adulterate.

[1590–1600; < Middle French aloi, Old French alei, n. derivative of aleier to combine < Latin alligāre to bind up =al- al- + ligāre to bind (see ally, ligament)]

al·loy

(ăl′oi′)

A metallic substance made by mixing and fusing two or more metals, or a metal and a nonmetal, to obtain desirable qualities such as hardness, lightness, and strength. Brass, bronze, and steel are all alloys.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

alloy

Past participle: alloyed
Gerund: alloying

Imperative
alloy
alloy

Present
I alloy
you alloy
he/she/it alloys
we alloy
you alloy
they alloy

Preterite
I alloyed
you alloyed
he/she/it alloyed
we alloyed
you alloyed
they alloyed

Present Continuous
I am alloying
you are alloying
he/she/it is alloying
we are alloying
you are alloying
they are alloying

Present Perfect
I have alloyed
you have alloyed
he/she/it has alloyed
we have alloyed
you have alloyed
they have alloyed

Past Continuous
I was alloying
you were alloying
he/she/it was alloying
we were alloying
you were alloying
they were alloying

Past Perfect
I had alloyed
you had alloyed
he/she/it had alloyed
we had alloyed
you had alloyed
they had alloyed

Future
I will alloy
you will alloy
he/she/it will alloy
we will alloy
you will alloy
they will alloy

Future Perfect
I will have alloyed
you will have alloyed
he/she/it will have alloyed
we will have alloyed
you will have alloyed
they will have alloyed

Future Continuous
I will be alloying
you will be alloying
he/she/it will be alloying
we will be alloying
you will be alloying
they will be alloying

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been alloying
you have been alloying
he/she/it has been alloying
we have been alloying
you have been alloying
they have been alloying

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been alloying
you will have been alloying
he/she/it will have been alloying
we will have been alloying
you will have been alloying
they will have been alloying

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been alloying
you had been alloying
he/she/it had been alloying
we had been alloying
you had been alloying
they had been alloying

Conditional
I would alloy
you would alloy
he/she/it would alloy
we would alloy
you would alloy
they would alloy

Past Conditional
I would have alloyed
you would have alloyed
he/she/it would have alloyed
we would have alloyed
you would have alloyed
they would have alloyed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	alloy - a mixture containing two or more metallic elements or metallic and nonmetallic elements usually fused together or dissolving into each other when molten; "brass is an alloy of zinc and copper" metal mixture - (chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding) heavy metal - a metal of relatively high density (specific gravity greater than about 5) or of high relative atomic weight (especially one that is poisonous like mercury or lead) 18-karat gold - an alloy that contains 75 per cent gold 22-karat gold - an alloy that contains 87 per cent gold oreide, oroide - alloy of copper and tin and zinc; used in imitation gold jewelry Alnico - trade name for an alloy used to make high-energy permanent magnets; contains aluminum and iron and nickel plus cobalt or copper or titanium amalgam, dental amalgam - an alloy of mercury with another metal (usually silver) used by dentists to fill cavities in teeth; except for iron and platinum all metals dissolve in mercury and chemists refer to the resulting mercury mixtures as amalgams fusible metal - an alloy with a low melting point and used as solder and in safety plugs and sprinkler fuses electrum - an alloy of gold and silver pewter - any of various alloys of tin with small amounts of other metals (especially lead) pinchbeck - an alloy of copper and zinc that is used in cheap jewelry to imitate gold pot metal - an alloy of copper and lead used especially for making large pots solder - an alloy (usually of lead and tin) used when melted to join two metal surfaces white gold - a pale alloy of gold usually with platinum or nickel or palladium type metal - an alloy of tin and lead and antimony used to make printing type bearing metal, white metal - an alloy (often of lead or tin base) used for bearings babbitt, Babbitt metal - an alloy of tin with some copper and antimony; a lining for bearings that reduces friction Britannia metal - an alloy similar to pewter CARBOLOY - [trademark] an alloy based on tungsten with cobalt or nickel as a binder; used in making metal-cutting tools steel - an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range cheoplastic metal - any alloy that fuses at low temperatures and can be used molding artificial teeth copper-base alloy - any alloy whose principal component is copper dental gold - an alloy of gold used in dentistry Duralumin - an aluminum-based alloy Inconel - a nickel-base alloy with chromium and iron; used in gas-turbine blades Invar - an alloy of iron and nickel having a low coefficient of thermal expansion; used in tuning forks and measuring tapes and other instruments nickel alloy, nickel-base alloy - an alloy whose main constituent is nickel German silver, nickel silver - a silver-white alloy containing copper and zinc and nickel pyrophoric alloy - an alloy that emits sparks when struck or scratched with steel; used in lighter flints shot metal - an alloy that is 98% lead and 2% arsenic; used in making small shot primary solid solution, solid solution - a homogeneous solid that can exist over a range of component chemicals; a constituent of alloys that is formed when atoms of an element are incorporated into the crystals of a metal Stellite - ® a very hard alloy of cobalt and chromium with cobalt as the principal ingredient; used to make cutting tools and for surfaces subject to heavy wear sterling silver - a silver alloy with no more than 7.5% copper tambac, tombac, tombak - an alloy of copper and zinc (and sometimes arsenic) used to imitate gold in cheap jewelry and for gilding Wood's alloy, Wood's metal - a fusible alloy that is half bismuth plus lead, tin, and cadmium; melts at about 160 degrees Fahrenheit
	2.	alloy - the state of impairing the quality or reducing the value of something admixture impureness, impurity - the condition of being impure
Verb	1.	alloy - lower in value by increasing the base-metal content debase metallurgy - the science and technology of metals devalue - lower the value or quality of; "The tear devalues the painting"
	2.	alloy - make an alloy of chemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions metallurgy - the science and technology of metals coalesce, conflate, fuse, immix, mix, merge, commingle, blend, meld, flux, combine - mix together different elements; "The colors blend well"

alloy

noun mixture, combination, compound, blend, hybrid, composite, amalgam, meld, admixture Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.

Alloys

Alnico (trademark (amalgam)), austenitic stainless steel, Babbit metal, bell bronze, bell metal, billon, brass, brazing solder, Britannia metal, bronze, chromel, constantan, cupronickel, Duralumin (trademark), electrum, ferrochromium, ferromanganese, ferromolybdenum, ferronickel, ferrosilicon, Invar (trademark), kamacite, magnolia metal, magnox, Manganin (trademark), misch metal, Monel or Monell metal, Nichrome (trademark), nickel silver, nimonic alloy, ormolu, oroide, osmiridium, permalloy, pewter, phosphor bronze, pinchbeck, platina, platiniridium, soft solder, speculum metal, steel, Stellite (trademark), sterling silver, terne, tombac or tambac, type metal, white gold, zircalloy

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

slitinalegovatslévatslít

legering

Legierung legieren

κράμα κραματοποιώ νοθεύω

alojialojo

aleación

lejeerinkimetalliseosseosseostaa

alliage allier

נתךסגסוגת

ötvözet

málmblendi

lega

合金

lydinys

sakausējums

zliatinazliať

zlitina

legeralegering

alaşımhalita

hợp kim

合金

alloy

[ˈælɔɪ]

A. N (= metal) → aleación f (fig) → mezcla f

B. [ˈælɔɪ] CPD alloy wheels NPL → llantas fpl de aleación

C. [əˈlɔɪ] VT → alear, ligar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

alloy

[ˈælɔɪ] n → alliage m
metal alloy → alliage de métal
aluminium alloy → alliage d'aluminium
an alloy of sth and sth → un alliage de qch et qchalloy wheels npl → roues fpl en alliage légerall-party [ˌɔːlˈpɑː^rti] adj [committee, group, talks] → multipartiteall-powerful [ˌɔːlˈpaʊə^rf^əl] adj [god] → tout-puissant(e); [king, president, state, government, organization] → tout-puissant(e); [influence] → tout-puissant(e)all-purpose [ˌɔːlˈpɜː^rpəs] adj [cleaner] → multi-usages; [glue] → universel(le); [flour, potatoes] → tous usagesall right alright [ˌɔːlˈraɪt]

adj

(= satisfactory) [meal, wine, film] → pas mal
The film was all right → Le film n'était pas mal.
Most of the teachers are all right
BUT La plupart des professeurs sont plutôt bien.
to be all right by sb (showing approval)
That's all right by me! → D'accord!

(= in good health) → en forme (= in good spirits) → content(e)
I'm all right
BUT Ça va bien.
Are you all right?
BUT Ça va ?.

adv

[feel, work, turn out] → bien
Everything turned out all right → Tout s'est bien terminé.

(agreeing to sth) → d'accord
"We'll talk about it later." - "All right." → "On en reparlera plus tard." - "D'accord."
Is that all right with you? → Tu es d'accord ?all-round [ˌɔːlˈraʊnd] adj

(= in all domains) [player, entertainer] → complet/ète; [athlete, sportsman] → complet/ète
a good all-round performance → une performance très complète

[visibility] → global(e)all-rounder [ˌɔːlˈraʊndə^r] n (British) to be a good all-rounder → être bon(ne) en toutall-singing all-dancing adj → tout(e) nouveau, tout beau(nouvelle)(e)(belle)

alloy

n → Legierung f

vt → legieren; (fig liter) → (ver)mischen; pleasure alloyed with suffering → von Leid getrübte Freude

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

alloy

[ˈælɔɪ]

1. n → lega (fig) → ombra

2. adj alloy wheels (Aut) → cerchi mpl in lega

alloy

(ˈӕloi) noun

a mixture of two or more metals.

References in classic literature ?

For on its wing was dark alloy And as it fluttered-fell An essence-powerful to destroy A soul that knew it well.

View in context

The right of coining money, which is here taken from the States, was left in their hands by the Confederation, as a concurrent right with that of Congress, under an exception in favor of the exclusive right of Congress to regulate the alloy and value.

View in context

To pass from theological, and philosophical truth, to the truth of civil business; it will be acknowledged, even by those that practise it not, that clear, and round dealing, is the honor of man's nature; and that mixture of falsehoods, is like alloy in coin of gold and silver, which may make the metal work the better, but it embaseth it.

View in context

For men are not guilty of crimes for necessaries only (for which he thinks an equality of goods would be a sufficient remedy, as they would then have no occasion to steal cold or hunger), but that they may enjoy what the desire, and not wish for it in vain; for if their desire extend beyond the common necessaries of life, they were be wicked to gratify them; and not only so, but if their wishes point that way, they will do the same to enjoy those pleasures which are free from the alloy of pain.

View in context

"Well, then," said Morgan, "I propose the best alloy hitherto known, which consists of one hundred parts of copper, twelve of tin, and six of brass."

View in context

It hasn't any beginning, nor any middle, but there will be a thrilling ending, something like this: let me see; joy, boy, toy, ahoy, decoy, alloy:--

View in context

I had promised myself that in this quiet, now that I had given up reviewing, and wrote little or nothing in the magazine but my stories, I should again read purely for the pleasure of it, as I had in the early days before the critical purpose had qualified it with a bitter alloy. But I found that not being forced to read a number of books each month, so that I might write about them, I did not read at all, comparatively speaking.

View in context

He had quite forgotten the momentary unpleasant impression, and alone with her he felt, now that the thought of her approaching motherhood was never for a moment absent from his mind, a new and delicious bliss, quite pure from all alloy of sense, in the being near to the woman he loved.

View in context

'But bear in mind, Mr Venus, that there's no gold without its alloy. Mix for yourself and take a seat in the chimbley-corner.

View in context

But then -- by a kind of necessity that always impelled this child to alloy whatever comfort she might chance to give with a throb of anguish -- Pearl put up her mouth and kissed the scarlet letter, too

View in context

But in sorrow she must be equally carried away by her fancy, and as far beyond consolation as in pleasure she was beyond alloy.

View in context

The metal of the barrel is an alloy composed principally of aluminum and steel which they have learned to temper to a hardness far exceeding that of the steel with which we are familiar.