allay

English

Alternative forms

• alay (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English alayen, aleyen, aleggen, from Old English ālecgan (“to put, place, lay down, lay aside, throw down, give up, cease from, abandon; put down, allay, suppress, abolish, conquer, destroy, overcome, refute; lay upon, inflict, impose upon; diminish, take away, refuse, lessen, withhold”), from Proto-Germanic *uzlagjaną (“to lay down”), equivalent to a- +‎ lay. Cognate with German erlegen (“to impose, cause to succumb, kill”), Gothic  (uslagjan, “to lay down”). In Middle English the word was identical to forms of allege and alloy, leading to much overlapping of senses.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈleɪ/, X-SAMPA: /@"leI/

  Rhymes: -eɪ

Verb

allay (third-person singular simple present allays, present participle allaying, simple past and past participle allayed)

1. (transitive) To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm.

   to allay popular excitement

   to allay the tumult of the passions

2. (transitive) To alleviate; to abate; to mitigate.

   to allay the severity of affliction or the bitterness of adversity

3. (intransitive, obsolete) To subside, abate, become peaceful.
   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Mark IV:

     And the wynde alayed, and there folowed a greate calme: and he sayde unto them: why are ye fearfull?

   • Shakespeare

     When the rage allays.

4. (archaic) To mix (metals); to mix with a baser metal; to alloy; to deteriorate.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Fuller to this entry?)

Quotations

He had to pretend to be drunk in order to allay the suspicions which might have been aroused by his appearance at the gate.
—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in A Study in Scarlet

Synonyms

• alleviate; check; repress; assuage; appease; abate; subdue; destroy; compose; soothe; calm; quiet

Translations

To make quiet or put at rest

• Bulgarian: успокоявам (bg) (uspokojavam), уталожвам (bg) (utaložvam)
• Czech: utišit (cs), uklidnit (cs)
• Dutch: bedaren (nl)
• Finnish: vaientaa (fi)

• Romanian: astâmpăra (ro), alina (ro)
• Spanish: aquietar (es), calmar (es)
• Welsh: tawelu (cy)

To alleviate

• Bulgarian: облекчавам (bg) (oblekčavam), смекчавам (bg) (smekčavam)
• Finnish: lieventää (fi), lievittää (fi)

• Romanian: alina (ro)
• Spanish: aliviar (es), mitigar (es)

Noun

allay

1. alleviation; abatement; check

References

• allay in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• Layla

---

Quechua

Verb

allay

1. (transitive) to dig, to scratch the earth to harvest tubers

Conjugation

    conjugation of allay

infinitive			allay
present participle			allaq
past participle			allasqa
future participle			allana
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person inclusive	1st person exclusive	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		ñuqa	qam	pay	ñuqanchik	ñuqayku	qamkuna	paykuna
	present	allani	allanki	allan	allanchik	allayku	allankichik	allanku
	past (experienced)	allarqani	allarqanki	allarqan	allarqanchik	allarqaniku	allarqankichik	allarqanku
	past (reported)	allasqani	allasqanki	allasqan	allasqanchik	allasqaniku	allasqankichik	allasqanku
	future	allasaq	allanki	allanqa	allasunchik	allasaqku	allankichik	allanqaku
conditional		ñuqa	qam	pay	ñuqanchik	ñuqayku	qamkuna	paykuna
	present	allayman	allankiman	allanman	allanchikman	allaykuman	allankichikman	allankuman
obligative		ñuqa	qam	pay	ñuqanchik	ñuqayku	qamkuna	paykuna
	present	allanay	allanayki	allanan	allananchik	allanayku	allanaykichik	allananku
imperative		—	qam	pay	—	—	qamkuna	paykuna
	affirmative		allay	allachun			allaychik	allachunku

See also

• haphq'ey
• hatq'ey