ALLOY • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Alloy

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/ˈælˌɔɪ/ Listen

noun

Alloy n.

Any combination or compound of metals fused together; a mixture of metals; for example, brass, which is an alloy of copper and zinc. But when mercury is one of the metals, the compound is called an amalgam.

The quality, or comparative purity, of gold or silver; fineness.

A baser metal mixed with a finer. "Fine silver is silver without the mixture of any baser metal. Alloy is baser metal mixed with it."

Admixture of anything which lessens the value or detracts from; as, no happiness is without alloy. "Pure English without Latin alloy."

verb

Alloy v. t. (past & past part. alloyed; pres. part. alloying)

To reduce the purity of by mixing with a less valuable substance; as, to alloy gold with silver or copper, or silver with copper.

To mix, as metals, so as to form a compound.

To abate, impair, or debase by mixture; to allay; as, to alloy pleasure with misfortunes.

Alloy v. t. To form a metallic compound. "Gold and iron alloy with ease."

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Etymology of 'Alloy'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Alloy" Quotes from Famous Books

... of iron in this area. They must have developed fast—for life did not last long. Insectival, beyond a doubt. Also, they had what we call The Moon Metal. Their houses, practically everything they used, are made of that. It must have been an accident. In cooling, the moon spewed this new alloy out upon its surface. Yes, it looks like porcelain—but it is as hard as steel. It has strange vibrations. They had musical instruments—although they may have produced tingling vibrations instead of sound. When these people ...

— Hunters Out of Space • Joseph Everidge Kelleam

... of those times, "surpassed all the princes of his house in certain natural gifts, in certain talents, which procured him the respect of the court, the affection of the people, but which, nevertheless, were tarnished by a singular alloy of ...

— Henry IV, Makers of History • John S. C. Abbott

... perfect and on her guard at every moment, must surely chill her faculties and numb their exercise? Such a woman can exist only in an atmosphere of angelic forbearance. Where are the hearts from which forbearance comes with no alloy of bitter ...

— The Alkahest • Honore de Balzac

... "But it's much better when there's nothing else, which is the case with somebody I know. I like my gold free from alloy." ...

— Alton of Somasco • Harold Bindloss

... of a free, unsuspicious temper. If you preserve your integrity, it must be a coarse-spun and vulgar honesty. Those high and lofty notions of morals which you brought with you from the schools must be considerably lowered, and mixed with the baser alloy of a jealous and worldly-minded prudence. You must learn to do hard if not unjust things; and for the nice embarrassments of a delicate and ingenuous spirit, it is necessary for you to get rid of them as fast as possible. You must ...

— Library Of The World's Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol 4 • Charles Dudley Warner

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