allay

allay
\ \ [OE] In Old English, alecgan meant literally ‘lay aside’ (-aaway, aside, out’, lecganlay’). The more recent senses ‘relieve, mitigate’ developed from the 13th to the 15th centuries owing to the influence of two formally similar Old French verbs: alegerlighten’ (from Latin alleviāre, source of English alleviate [15]); and al(e)ierqualify, moderate’ (source of English alloy).
\ \ Cf.LAY

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Allay — Al*lay , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Allayed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Allaying}.] [OE. alaien, aleggen, to lay down, put down, humble, put an end to, AS. [=a]lecgan; [=a] (cf. Goth. us , G. er , orig. meaning out) + lecgan to lay; but confused with old forms… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • allay — (v.) O.E. alecgan to put down, remit, give up, a Germanic compound (Cf. Goth. uslagjan, O.H.G. irleccan, Ger. erlegen), from a down, aside + lecgan to lay (see LAY (Cf. lay)). Early Middle English pronunciations of y and g were not always… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Allay — Al*lay , v. t. To diminish in strength; to abate; to subside. When the rage allays. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Allay — Al*lay , n. Alleviation; abatement; check. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Allay — Al*lay , n. Alloy. [Obs.] Chaucer. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Allay — Al*lay , v. t. To mix (metals); to mix with a baser metal; to alloy; to deteriorate. [Archaic] Fuller. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • allay — I verb abate, alleviate, appease, assuage, blunt, calm, cause to be still, cause to subside, check, compose, constrain, control, curb, curtail, deaden, decrease, diminish, dull, hush, lenire, lessen, lighten, lull, minimize, mitigare, mitigate,… …   Law dictionary

  • allay — *relieve, alleviate, lighten, assuage, mitigate Analogous words: abate, lessen, *decrease, diminish: mollify, *pacify, appease: *moderate, temper Antonyms: intensify Contrasted words: *provoke, excite, stimulate: * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • allay — has inflections allays, allayed, allaying …   Modern English usage

  • allay — [v] reduce something, usually a pain or a problem abate, alleviate, assuage, calm, compose, cool out*, decrease, ease, lessen, lighten, make nice*, mitigate, moderate, mollify, pacify, play up to*, pour oil on*, quiet, square, take the bite out* …   New thesaurus

  • allay — ► VERB 1) diminish or end (fear or concern). 2) alleviate (pain or hunger). ORIGIN Old English, «lay down or aside» …   English terms dictionary

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