alloy
UK[ˈælɔɪ]US[ˈælɔɪ]
n
a metal made by combining two or more metallic elements, especially to give greater strength or resistance to corrosion.
v
to mix (metals) to make an alloy.
Morpheme Breakdown
al
loy
al
to, at
loy
to bind
Etymology
the word 'alloy' entered english from old french 'alei', meaning 'a mixture, combination'. this old french term derived from the verb 'aleier', 'to combine', which itself came from latin 'alligare', meaning 'to bind to'. the latin root is a compound of 'ad-' ('to') and 'ligare' ('to bind'), conveying the core idea of binding one metal to another. over time, the meaning narrowed specifically to the metallurgical process of fusing metals, reflecting the literal binding of different elements to create a new, unified material with distinct properties.
Analysis
Structure: al + loy
al (from latin 'ad-', meaning 'to, at'), loy (from old french 'loi, alei', from latin 'ligare', meaning 'to bind')
Examples
brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.
they alloyed gold with silver to make it harder.
the steel used in the bridge is a high-strength alloy.