Dictionary entry details
• ALLOY (noun)
Meaning:
A mixture containing two or more metallic elements or metallic and nonmetallic elements usually fused together or dissolving into each other when molten
Classified under:
Nouns denoting substances
Synonyms:
alloy; metal
Context example:
brass is an alloy of zinc and copper
Hypernyms ("alloy" is a kind of...):
mixture ((chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding))
Meronyms (substance of "alloy"):
primary solid solution; solid solution (a homogeneous solid that can exist over a range of component chemicals; a constituent of alloys that is formed when atoms of an element are incorporated into the crystals of a metal)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "alloy"):
heavy metal (a metal of relatively high density (specific gravity greater than about 5) or of high relative atomic weight (especially one that is poisonous like mercury or lead))
steel (an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range)
cheoplastic metal (any alloy that fuses at low temperatures and can be used molding artificial teeth)
copper-base alloy (any alloy whose principal component is copper)
dental gold (an alloy of gold used in dentistry)
Duralumin (an aluminum-based alloy)
Inconel (a nickel-base alloy with chromium and iron; used in gas-turbine blades)
Invar (an alloy of iron and nickel having a low coefficient of thermal expansion; used in tuning forks and measuring tapes and other instruments)
nickel alloy; nickel-base alloy (an alloy whose main constituent is nickel)
German silver; nickel silver (a silver-white alloy containing copper and zinc and nickel)
pyrophoric alloy (an alloy that emits sparks when struck or scratched with steel; used in lighter flints)
shot metal (an alloy that is 98% lead and 2% arsenic; used in making small shot)
Stellite (a very hard alloy of cobalt and chromium with cobalt as the principal ingredient; used to make cutting tools and for surfaces subject to heavy wear)
sterling silver (a silver alloy with no more than 7.5% copper)
tambac; tombac; tombak (an alloy of copper and zinc (and sometimes arsenic) used to imitate gold in cheap jewelry and for gilding)
Carboloy (an alloy based on tungsten with cobalt or nickel as a binder; used in making metal-cutting tools)
Britannia metal (an alloy similar to pewter)
babbitt; Babbitt metal (an alloy of tin with some copper and antimony; a lining for bearings that reduces friction)
18-karat gold (an alloy that contains 75 per cent gold)
22-karat gold (an alloy that contains 87 per cent gold)
oreide; oroide (alloy of copper and tin and zinc; used in imitation gold jewelry)
Alnico (trade name for an alloy used to make high-energy permanent magnets; contains aluminum and iron and nickel plus cobalt or copper or titanium)
amalgam; dental amalgam (an alloy of mercury with another metal (usually silver) used by dentists to fill cavities in teeth; except for iron and platinum all metals dissolve in mercury and chemists refer to the resulting mercury mixtures as amalgams)
fusible metal (an alloy with a low melting point and used as solder and in safety plugs and sprinkler fuses)
electrum (an alloy of gold and silver)
pewter (any of various alloys of tin with small amounts of other metals (especially lead))
pinchbeck (an alloy of copper and zinc that is used in cheap jewelry to imitate gold)
pot metal (an alloy of copper and lead used especially for making large pots)
solder (an alloy (usually of lead and tin) used when melted to join two metal surfaces)
white gold (a pale alloy of gold usually with platinum or nickel or palladium)
type metal (an alloy of tin and lead and antimony used to make printing type)
bearing metal; white metal (an alloy (often of lead or tin base) used for bearings)
Wood's alloy; Wood's metal (a fusible alloy that is half bismuth plus lead, tin, and cadmium; melts at about 160 degrees Fahrenheit)
Meaning:
The state of impairing the quality or reducing the value of something
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Synonyms:
admixture; alloy
Hypernyms ("alloy" is a kind of...):
impureness; impurity (the condition of being impure)
• ALLOY (verb)
Meaning:
Lower in value by increasing the base-metal content
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
alloy; debase
Hypernyms (to "alloy" is one way to...):
devalue (lower the value or quality of)
Domain category:
metallurgy (the science and technology of metals)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Meaning:
Make an alloy of
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "alloy" is one way to...):
blend; coalesce; combine; commingle; conflate; flux; fuse; immix; meld; merge; mix (mix together different elements)
Domain category:
chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)
metallurgy (the science and technology of metals)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
