Alloy, n.
Etymology: [OE. alai, OF. alei, F. aloyer, to alloy, alier to ally. See Alloy, v. t.]
1. 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.
2. The quality, or comparative purity, of gold or silver; fineness.
3. 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.
4. Admixture of anything which lessens the value or detracts from; as, no happiness is without alloy. "Pure English without Latin alloy." F. Harrison.
2 other Webster entries under this spelling
Alloy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Alloyed; p. pr. & vb. n. Alloying.]
1. To reduce the purity of by mixing with a less valuable substance; as, to alloy gold with silver or copper, or silver with copper.
2. To mix, as metals, so as to form a compound.
3. 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. Ure.
Shades of meaning
Alloy may be either some admixture of baser with precious metal, as for giving hardness to coin or the like, or it may be a compound or mixture of two or more metals. Adulteration, debasement, and deterioration are always used in the bad sense; admixture is neutral, and may be good or bad; alloy is commonly good in the literal sense. An excess of alloy virtually amounts to adulteration; but adulteration is now mostly restricted to articles used for food, drink, medicine, and kindred uses. In the figurative sense, as applied to character, etc., alloy is unfavorable, because there the only standard is perfection.