alliance

Alternative forms

• alliaunce

Etymology

From Old French aliance (French: alliance). Compare with Doric Greek ἁλία (halía, "assembly").

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈlaɪ.əns/
• Rhymes: -aɪəns

Noun

alliance (countable and uncountable, plural alliances)

1. (uncountable) The state of being allied.

   matrimonial alliances; an alliance between church and state, or between two countries

2. (countable) The act of allying or uniting.
3. (countable) A union or connection of interests between families, states, parties, etc., especially between families by marriage and states by compact, treaty, or league.
4. (countable) Any union resembling that of families or states; union by relationship in qualities; affinity.
   • C. J. Smith

     the alliance of the principles of the world with those of the gospel

   • Mansel

     the alliance […] between logic and metaphysics

5. (with the definite article) The persons or parties allied.

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

Verb

alliance (third-person singular simple present alliances, present participle alliancing, simple past and past participle allianced)

1. (obsolete) To connect or unite by alliance; to ally.

Further reading

• alliance at OneLook Dictionary Search
• alliance in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• ancillae, canaille

Etymology

allier + -ance

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.ljɑ̃s/

• audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑ̃s

Noun

alliance f (plural alliances)

1. alliance, union
2. (wedding) ring

Further reading

• “alliance” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• canaille