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ally

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Archived revision by Sgconlaw (talk | contribs) as of 19:35, 12 June 2022.
See also: Ally and -ally

English

WOTD – 14 June 2022

Etymology 1

From Middle English allien, alien (“to form an alliance, associate, join; to become an ally; to introduce (someone) as an ally; to marry; to become related (to someone); to attack, engage in combat; to combine; (cooking) to combine ingredients, especially to bind them together”) [and other forms],[1] from Anglo-Norman alier, allier, Middle French alier, allier [and other forms], and Old French alier (“to join together, unite; to alloy (metals); (cooking) to combine ingredients”) (modern French allier), from Latin alligāre,[2] the present active infinitive of alligō, adligō (“to bind around, to, or up (something), bandage, fasten, fetter, tie; to hold fast; to detain, hinder”), from al-, ad- (intensifying prefix) + ligō (“to bind, tie; to bandage, wrap around; to unite”) (from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- (“to bind, tie”)). Doublet of allay, alligate, alloy, and ligament.

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 376: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. enPR: ăl'ī, əlī', IPA(key): /ˈælaɪ/, /əˈlaɪ/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
    Audio:(file)
  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 376: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "GA" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈæˌlaɪ/, /æˈlaɪ/
  • Rhymes: (one pronunciation) -aɪ
  • Hyphenation: al‧ly

Verb

ally (third-person singular simple present allies, present participle allying, simple past and past participle allied)

  1. (transitive)
    1. To unite or form a connection between (people or things), as between families by marriage, or between states by confederacy, league, or treaty.
    2. Chiefly followed by to or with: to connect or form a relation to (someone or something) by similarity in features or nature.
    3. (reflexive) To join or unite (oneself or itself) against, with, etc., someone or something else.
      • 1577, Peter de la Place [i.e. Pierre de la Place], “Of the Excellencie of a Christian Man, and the Way to Knowe Him”, in L[aurence] Tomson, transl., A Treatise of the Excellencie of a Christian Man, and Howe He may be Knowen. […], London: […] Christopher Barkar, […], →OCLC:
        To be ſhort, hauing thus ingrafted them into the body of his [God's] Sonne, he ioyneth and allieth him ſelfe to them, he maketh him ſelfe one with them, maketh them his children and heyres, partakers of his immortalitie and glorie, and all this he worketh by the inward vertue of his holy Ghost, […]
      • 1861, [T. John Vickers], “The Book of Counsels”, in The New Koran of the Pacifican Friendhood: or Text-book of Turkish Reformers, in the Teaching and Example of Their Esteemed Master Jaido Morata, London: George Mainwaring, […], →OCLC, chapter XXIX, verses 24–25, page 375, column 1:
        A wise damsel walketh up and down discreetly in the world, minding her affairs: she regardeth not the pleading of vain lovers, but taketh counsel with her friends and allieth herself at last to one of true worth. Then she giveth up her whole heart to the service of her husband, and receiveth from him again his love and strong help and the flower of his estate beyond calcuation or desire.
  2. (intransitive) Chiefly followed by with: to enter into an alliance or unite for a common aim.
    Synonym: make common cause
Usage notes

The word is generally used in the passive form or reflexively.

Conjugation
Conjugation of ally
infinitive (to) ally
present tense past tense
1st-person singular ally allied
2nd-person singular
3rd-person singular allies
plural ally
subjunctive ally allied
imperative ally —
participles allying allied
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English allie, alie [and other forms],[3] probably partly:

Noun

ally (plural allies)

  1. A person who co-operates with or helps another; an associate; a friend.
    1. A person who, or organization which, supports a demographic group subject to discrimination and/or misrepresentation but is not a member of the group; specifically (LGBTQ), a person who is not a member of the LGBT+ community but is supportive of it.
      I’m glad you want to be a better ally to the disabled.
  2. A person, group, state, etc., which is associated or united by treaty with another for a common (especially military or political) purpose; a confederate.
    The two countries were allies in World War I.
  3. Something regarded as connected with or related to another thing by similarity in features or nature.
    1. (taxonomy) An organism which is related to another organism through common evolutionary origin; specifically, a species which is closely related to another species, usually within the same family.
      The order of Gruiformes includes cranes and their allies.
  4. (figuratively) A person, group, concept, etc., which is associated with another as a helper; an auxiliary; a supporter.
    • 1857, Henry Thomas Buckle, History of Civilization in England:
      Science, instead of being the enemy of religion, becomes its ally.
  5. (historical or obsolete) A relative; a kinsman or kinswoman.
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun

Template:en-plural noun (obsolete)

  1. One's relatives; kin, kindred, relations; also, relationship through descent or marriage; kinship.
  2. People, groups, states, etc., which are associated or united with each other for a common purpose; confederates; also, the state of being allied; alliance, confederation.

Etymology 3

See alley.[5]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈæli/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Hyphenation: al‧ly

Noun

ally (plural allies)

  1. Alternative spelling of alley (“a glass marble or taw”)

References

  1. ^ “allīen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. ^ “ally, v.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2022; “ally1, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 “allīe, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  4. ^ “ally, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2022; “ally1, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  5. ^ “ally2, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

Anagrams

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