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Antonyms for allay
| Grammar : Verb |
| Spell : uh-ley |
| Phonetic Transcription : əˈleɪ |
Definition of allay
Origin :- Old English alecgan "to put down, remit, give up," a Germanic compound (cf. Gothic uslagjan, Old High German irleccan, German erlegen), from a- "down, aside" + lecgan "to lay" (see lay).
- Early Middle English pronunciations of -y- and -g- were not always distinct, and the word was confused in Middle English with various senses of Romanic-derived alloy and allege, especially the latter in an obsolete sense of "to lighten," from Latin ad- "to" + levis (see lever).
- Amid the overlapping of meanings that thus arose, there was developed a perplexing network of uses of allay and allege, that belong entirely to no one of the original vbs., but combine the senses of two or more of them. [OED]
- The double -l- is 17c., a mistaken Latinism. Related: Allayed; allaying.
- verb reduce something, usually a pain or a problem
- How calculated is this precedure to allay animosities and unite hearts!
- Extract from : « Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II » by Francis Augustus Cox
- She will allay your intoxication by gentle degrees, and send you sober home.
- Extract from : « Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10) » by Maria Edgeworth
- Still, Greta's nervousness increased; no reason, no sophistry could allay it.
- Extract from : « A Son of Hagar » by Sir Hall Caine
- There was alarm on her face, which La Boulaye now set himself to allay.
- Extract from : « The Trampling of the Lilies » by Rafael Sabatini
- When it came, however, it was not calculated to allay the curiosity of his questioner.
- Extract from : « The Strollers » by Frederic S. Isham
- Would he not allay their fears for his safety, not for themselves?
- Extract from : « Almayer's Folly » by Joseph Conrad
- The "angel" tried in vain to allay her husband's excitement.
- Extract from : « The Son of Monte-Cristo, Volume I (of 2) » by Alexandre Dumas pre
- This sweeping statement was not calculated to allay my discomfort.
- Extract from : « Tom, Dick and Harry » by Talbot Baines Reed
- Nor did I seek to allay their wrath, knowing but too well that it was justified.
- Extract from : « Manasseh » by Maurus Jokai
- It will be easy to excite passion and difficult to allay it.
- Extract from : « America First » by Various
Synonyms for allay
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019