Etymograph

English

alloy

Alloy comes from Middle French alloy, from Latin alligō ‘to bind to, up or around something, tie,…’, and ultimately from ligō.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEligō1‘tie, bind up or together’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEalligō2‘to bind to, up or around something, tie, fetter, fasten’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400aloi2
  4. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600alloy2
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1603alloy2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin alligo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English alloy
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes […]: “Metrodorus said that in sadnesse there is some aloy…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEligōWiktionary, Latin alligo‘tie, bind up or together’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEalligōWiktionary, English alloy‘to bind to, up or around something, tie, fetter, fasten’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400aloiWiktionary, English alloy
  4. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600alloyWiktionary, English alloy
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1603alloyWiktionary, English alloy. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes […]: “Metrodorus said that in sadnesse there is some aloy…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- ‘to bind’

obligation, oblige, 12 more

through Latin ligō ‘tie, bind up or together’

league, religious, religion, liable, liaison, ligament, lien, ligand, ligature, religiosity, obligate, liaise, ligation, legato, 13 more

through Latin alligō ‘to bind to, up or around something, tie,…’

ally, 2 more

Another origin of alloy

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500alayen
  2. Englishtodayalloy

Today it means

noun A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, a base metal.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “alloy”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin alligo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin ligō / alloy

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