ally

See also Ally, and -ally

English

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.

Etymology

From Middle English alien, Old French alier (Modern French allier), from Latin alligō (“to bind to”), from ad (“to”) + ligō. Compare alligate, allay, alloy and ligament.

Pronunciation 1

• enPR: əlī', IPA: /əˈlaɪ/, SAMPA: /@"laI/
• Rhymes: -aɪ

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To unite, or form a connection between, as between families by marriage, or between princes and states by treaty, league, or confederacy
   • O chief! in blood, and now in arms allied. -- Alexander Pope.
2. (transitive) To connect or form a relation between by similitude, resemblance, friendship, or love.
   • These three did love each other dearly well, And with so firm affection were allied. --Edmund Spenser.
   • The virtue nearest to our vice allied. --Alexander Pope.

Usage notes

• Generally used in the passive form or reflexively.
• Often followed by to or with.

Synonyms

• make common cause

Translations

to unite by agreement

Finnish: liittoutua (fi) French: allié (fr) Latin: socio (la)

Spanish: aliarse (es), unirse en (es) Swedish: alliera (sv)

to form a relation on less formal basis

Finnish: liittää (fi), yhdistää (fi) French: allié (fr)

Swedish: alliera (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Portuguese: aliar Slovak: spojiť sa

Pronunciation 2

• enPR: ăl'ī, IPA: /ˈæl.aɪ/, SAMPA: /"{laI/

Noun

ally (plural allies)

1. One united to another by treaty or league; — usually applied to sovereigns or states; a confederate.
   • The German soldiers and their Russian allies. -- Thomas Babington Macaulay.
2. Anything associated with another as a helper; an auxiliary.
   • Science, instead of being the enemy of religion, becomes its ally. --Buckle.
3. Anything akin to another by structure, etc.

Translations

one united to another by treaty or league

Armenian: դաշնակից (hy) (dašnakic’) Chinese: Mandarin: 盟國 (cmn), 盟国 (cmn) (méngguó) Czech: spojenec (cs) m. Dutch: bondgenoot (nl) m., bondgenote (nl) f. Finnish: liittolainen (fi) French: allié (fr) m. German: Alliierter (de) m., Alliierte (de) f.

Japanese: 同盟国 (ja) (どうめいこく, dōmeikoku) Latin: socius (la) m. Polish: sojusznik (pl) m. Romanian: aliat (ro) m. and n. Russian: союзник (ru) (sojúznik) m. Spanish: aliado (es) Swedish: allierad (sv)

anything associated with another as a helper

Armenian: դաշնակից (hy) (dašnakic’) Chinese: Mandarin: 盟友 (cmn) (méngyǒu) Dutch: bondgenoot (nl) m., bondgenote (nl) f. Finnish: liittolainen (fi), tukija (fi)

Ido: helpanto (io) Japanese: 味方 (ja) (みかた, mikata) Russian: союзник (ru) (sojúznik) m., помощник (ru) (pomóščnik) m. Swedish: allierad (sv)

anything akin to another by structure, etc

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Bulgarian: съюзник Esperanto: aliancano (eo)

Ancient Greek: σʋμμaχoς Portuguese: aliado (pt) Slovak: spojenec (sk) m.

Related terms

• alliance

References

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

Anagrams

• y'all, ya'll