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Webster's Dictionary (1865)

2 entries under this word

Alloy

Al-loy', v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. [imp. & p. p. ALLOYED; p. pr. & vb. n. ALLOYING.] [Fr. aloi, loi, good alloy, the goodness of metal that is to be coined into money, a fixed standard of gold and silver, Sp. ley, It. lega: v. Fr. aloyer, Sp. alear, It. allegare, from Lat. lex, law; ad legem, according to law. This word has been confounded with allay, q. v., and the signification of the latter attributed to it.]

Sense 1. To reduce the purity of by mixing with a less valuable substance; as, to alloy gold with silver, or silver with copper.

Sense 2. To abate, impair, or corrupt; as, to alloy pleasure with misfortunes.

Al-loy', n.

noun

n. [See supra.] 1. Any compound of two or more metals, as of copper and zinc to form brass. When mercury is one of the metals, the compound is called an amalgam.

Sense 2. 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. Locke.

Sense 3. Evil mixed with good; as, no happiness is without alloy. Atterbury.