alliance

• alliaunce

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

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

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.
   • (Can we date this quote?) C. J. Smith

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

   • (Can we date this quote?) 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 Nicholas Udall to this entry?)

• (union by relationship in qualities): connection, affinity, union
• (act of allying): union
• (persons or parties allied): coalition, league, confederation, team (informal)

• ally

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.

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

• ancillae, canaille

allier + -ance

• IPA^(key): /a.ljɑ̃s/

• audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑ̃s

alliance f (plural alliances)

1. alliance, union
2. wedding ring

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

• canaille

alliance

1. Alternative form of alliaunce