*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of alley

From Middle English aleye, from Anglo-Norman aleie, feminine of alé, past participle of aler (“to go”) (French aller). Doublet of allée.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A narrow street or passageway, especially one through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots of buildings. · The area between the outfielders. · An establishment where bowling is played. · An elongated wooden strip of floor along which a bowling ball is rolled.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English aleye, from Anglo-Norman aleie, feminine of alé, past participle of aler (“to go”) (French aller). Doublet of allée.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 6 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "aleye"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English aleye"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "aleie"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman aleie"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "allée"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of allée"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "aleye",
      "aleye#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "aleie",
      "aleie#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "alé",
      "alé#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "aler",
      "aler#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "aller",
      "aller#French"
    ],
    [
      "allée",
      "allée#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A narrow street or passageway, especially one through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots of buildings.",
        "The area between the outfielders.",
        "An establishment where bowling is played.",
        "An elongated wooden strip of floor along which a bowling ball is rolled."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 26456
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 6,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A marble (small ball used in games).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Diminutive of alabaster, from which they were once made.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "alabaster",
      "alabaster#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A marble (small ball used in games)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "86294f1612ba3fdd289bdf15ddf9d3c94c54c73fe3ca6a46120e2e5bbfd9a7ed",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 26457
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for alley →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YWxsZXk