alliance

English Online Dictionary. What means alliance‎? What does alliance mean?

English

Alternative forms

• alliaunce (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English alliaunce, from Old French aliance (French alliance). Equivalent to ally +‎ -ance. Compare with Doric Greek ἁλία (halía, “assembly”).

Pronunciation

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

Noun

alliance (countable and uncountable, plural alliances)

1. (uncountable) The state of being allied.

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.
5. (with the definite article) The persons or parties allied.
6. (India) Marriage.

Synonyms

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

Derived terms

Related terms

• ally

Translations

Verb

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.

Further reading

• “alliance”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “alliance”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• ancillae, canaille

Danish

Noun

alliance c (singular definite alliancen, plural indefinite alliancer)

1. an alliance

Declension

Further reading

• “alliance” in Den Danske Ordbog

French

Etymology

From allier +‎ -ance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.ljɑ̃s/
• Rhymes: -ɑ̃s

Noun

alliance f (plural alliances)

1. alliance, union
2. wedding ring

Descendants

• → Polish: alians
• → Portuguese: aliança
• → Russian: алья́нс (alʹjáns), алья́нсъ (alʹjáns) — Pre-reform orthography (1918)
  • → Armenian: ալյանս (alyans)
  • → Kazakh: альянс (aläns)
• → Turkish: alyans

Further reading

• “alliance”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• canaille

Middle English

Noun

alliance

1. Alternative form of alliaunce