Alison

English

Alternative forms

• Allison, Alyson, Allyson

Etymology

From Old French Alison, brought to England by the Normans (from Anglo-Norman Alison, from Norman Alison), diminutive of Aliz, equivalent to English Alice, from Old High German Adalhaid (“of noble kind”). Became Middle English Alisoun.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈælɪsən/

• Audio

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Proper noun

Alison (countable and uncountable, plural Alisons)

1. (countable) A female given name from the Germanic languages.
   • 1951, Geoffrey Chaucer, “Wife of Bath's Prologue”, in Nevill Coghill, transl., The Canterbury Tales: Translated into Modern English (Penguin Classics), Penguin Books, published 1977:

     He came up close and kneeling gently down
     He said, "My love, my dearest Alison,
     So help me God, I never again will hit
     You, love; and if I did, you asked for it.

2. (countable) A surname.
3. A semi-rural suburb in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.

Derived terms

Diminutives of the female given name

• Al
• Ali
• Alie
• Alli
• Allie
• Ally
• Aly

 

Translations

female given name

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 艾莉森 (Àilìsēn)

• Irish: Alsún f
• Marathi: अ‍ॅलिसन f (a‍ĕlisan)
• Middle English: Alisoun
• Norman: Alison
• Old French: Alison
• Scottish Gaelic: Allasan f

Anagrams

• Lainos, aloins, anisol, anoils, sialon