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   alloy

   noun

   • 1. a metal made by combining two or more metallic elements, especially to give greater strength or resistance to corrosion: "an alloy of nickel, bronze, and zinc"
   • ▪ an inferior metal mixed with a precious one.

   verb

   • 1. mix (metals) to make an alloy: "alloying tin with copper to make bronze"
   • ▪ debase (something) by adding something inferior: "a salutary fear alloyed their admiration"

   Word Origin late 16th century: from Old French aloi (noun) and French aloyer (verb), both from Old French aloier, aleier ‘combine’, from Latin alligare ‘bind’. In early use the term denoted the comparative purity of gold or silver; the sense ‘mixture of metals’ arose in the mid 17th century.

   Scrabble Points: 8

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