ALLOY Definition & Meaning

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alloy

[ noun al-oi, uh-loi; verb uh-loi ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a substance composed of two or more metals, or of a metal or metals with a nonmetal, intimately mixed, as by fusion or electrodeposition.
a less costly metal mixed with a more valuable one.
standard; quality; fineness.
admixture, as of good with evil.
Synonyms: , ,
anything added that serves to reduce quality or purity.

verb (used with object)

to mix (metals or metal with nonmetal) so as to form an alloy.
to reduce in value by an admixture of a less costly metal.
to debase, impair, or reduce by admixture; adulterate.

alloy

noun

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

verb

to add (one metal or element to another metal or element) to obtain a substance with a desired property
to debase (a pure substance) by mixing with an inferior element
to diminish or impair

alloy

/ ă��′�Ǿ�′ /

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.

alloy

A material made of two or more metals, or of a metal and another material. For example, brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; steel is an alloy of iron and carbon . Alloys often have unexpected characteristics. In the examples given above, brass is stronger than either copper or zinc, and steel is stronger than either iron or carbon.

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�ܲ�a��·��ǲ�� adjective

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of alloy¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French aloi, Old French alei, noun derivative of aleier “to combine,” from Latin �� “to bind up,” equivalent to al- “toward” ( al- ) + �� “to bind” ( ally, ligament ); replacing earlier allay, Middle English, from Anglo-French allai

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of alloy¹

C16: from Old French aloi a mixture, from aloier to combine, from Latin ��, from �� to bind

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Example Sentences

These include tungsten, which is difficult to source and a crucial material for the aerospace industry, tellurium, widely used for solar panels, and molybdenum, which is used to strengthen steel alloys.

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The fires were so intense that wheel alloys on cars were melted to puddles of liquid metal.

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“The fire was so hot, you can see the alloy wheels were completely melted,” Mark said of a neighbor’s car.

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Since then, it has been adorned with bronze alloys, ceiling lights and a midnight purple colour-wrap.

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For their proof-of-concept work, the researchers used Field's metal, which is an alloy of indium, bismuth and tin.

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