allay
English
/əˈleɪ/
verb
Definitions
- (transitive) To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm.
- (transitive) To alleviate; to abate; to mitigate.
- (intransitive) To subside, abate, become peaceful.
- (archaic) To mix (metals); to mix with a baser metal; to alloy; to deteriorate.
- (archaic) To make worse by the introduction of inferior elements.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English alayen inherited from Old English āleċġan (throw down, allay, lay upon, abandon, give up, diminish, destroy, impose upon, lessen, suppress, take away, conquer, refute, put, withhold, abolish, refuse, put down, place, lay aside, inflict, overcome, cease from, lay down) inherited from Proto-Germanic *uzlagjaną (lay down) prefix from English lay (meadow).
Origin
English
lay
Gloss
meadow
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- allayer English
- allayest English
- allayeth English
- allayment English
- belay English
- flatlay English
- forelay English
- forlay English
- inlay English
- interlay English
- lay English
- lay down English
- lay judge English
- lay out English
- layabout English
- layback English
- layer English
- layest English
- layeth English
- layflat English
- layland English
- layless English
- layman English
- layout English
- layover English
- layperson English
- layshaft English
- layship English
- laystall English
- laytime English
- layup English
- laywoman English
- mislay English
- offlay English
- onlay English
- outlay English
- overlay English
- pipelay English
- prelay English
- re-lay English
- underlay English
- unlay English
- uplay English
- waylay English
- auferlegen German
- erlegen German
- *uzlagjaną Proto-Germanic
- alecgan Old English
- āleċġan Old English
- alayen Middle English
- layen Middle English
- lay
- layup
- belay
- layer
- inlay
- uplay
- unlay
- onlay
- prelay
- forlay
- layout
- re-lay
- outlay
- waylay
- layman
- mislay
- offlay
- layeth
- layest
- flatlay
- forelay
- allayer
- lay out
- pipelay
- layover
- layflat
- laytime
- layship
- overlay
- layless
- layback
- layland
- layshaft
- allayeth
- laystall
- interlay
- laywoman
- allayest
- layabout
- lay down
- underlay
- layperson
- allayment
- lay judge