ally

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈæl.aɪ/, /əˈlaɪ/; /ˈæl.aɪ/, /əˈlaɪ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English allien, borrowed from Old French alier (“to combine, unite”), allier,^[2][3][4] an analogical form of aleier,^[5][2] from Latin alligāre (“to bind to”),^[3][2] from ad-, to, and ligāre, to bind,^[3][6] from PIE Proto-Indo-European *leig- (“to tie, bind”).^[3] It is a doublet of alloy.^[2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

To unite, join in affinity or marriage: 1297 in the OED, about 1300 in Barnhart.^[7][2]

Semantic evolution

To form an alliance, join or associate is from the late 14th century,^[3] and to mix ingredients an obsolete sense of 1392.^[7] The noun first meant a relative or kinsman, a sense now obsolete,^[3][5] partly from Old French alié, allied;^[5][8] probably about 1375, in Chaucer.^[2] One united with another by treaty or league is from the mid-15th century.^[3][5] The Allies were the nations against the Central Powers in the First World War (from 1914) and against Germany, Italy and Japan in the Second (from 1939).^[3][9]

Timeline

• 1297 – to unite.^[7]
• c. 1375 – a kinsman (noun).^[2]
• late 14th century – to form an alliance.^[3]
• mid-15th century – a party to a treaty.^[3]
• 1914 – the Allies.^[3]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To unite or join, as by treaty, alliance or marriage.
2. To connect through similarity or relationship.

Noun

1. A country, person or group joined with another, especially by treaty.
2. A person or group that helps or supports another.
3. (the Allies) The nations allied against the Central Powers in the First World War, or against the Axis in the Second.

Word family

• alliable
• misally
• re-ally
• allied
• Allies

Related words

• alliance
• alloy
• ligament
• league
• oblige
• rely

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin