*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of alloy

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

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 metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, a base metal. · A metal of lesser value, mixed with a metal of greater value. · An admixture; something added which stains, taints etc. · A fusion, marriage or combination.

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

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionalloyfrm
  • Derivation mentionaloifro
  • Derivation mentionalligōla
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "alloy"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Middle French alloy"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "aloi"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French aloi"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "alligō"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin alligō"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "alloy",
      "alloy#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "aloy",
      "aloy#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "aloi",
      "aloi#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "aloiier",
      "aloiier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "alligō",
      "alligo#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, a base metal.",
        "A metal of lesser value, mixed with a metal of greater value.",
        "An admixture; something added which stains, taints etc.",
        "A fusion, marriage or combination."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "archaic",
        "figuratively"
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To mix or combine; often used of metals. · To reduce the purity of by mixing with a less valuable substance. · To impair or debase by mixture.

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

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”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
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        "3": "alayen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English alayen"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "allayer"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French allayer"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "allier",
        "4": "",
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      },
      "expansion": "Old French allier (“assemble, join”)"
    },
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        "1": "en",
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      },
      "expansion": "Latin alligare (“bind to, tie to”)"
    }
  ],
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    ],
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      "allayer#Middle_French"
    ],
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      "allier",
      "allier#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "allier",
      "allier#Old_French"
    ],
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      "alligare",
      "alligare#Latin"
    ],
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      "ad",
      "ad#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ligare",
      "ligare#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To mix or combine; often used of metals.",
        "To reduce the purity of by mixing with a less valuable substance.",
        "To impair or debase by mixture."
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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 alloy →

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-YWxsb3k