alloy
    n 1: a mixture containing two or more metallic elements or
         metallic and nonmetallic elements usually fused together or
         dissolving into each other when molten; "brass is an alloy
         of zinc and copper" [syn: alloy, metal]
    2: the state of impairing the quality or reducing the value of
       something [syn: admixture, alloy]
    v 1: lower in value by increasing the base-metal content [syn:
         debase, alloy]
    2: make an alloy of

Alloy \Al*loy"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Alloyed; p. pr. & vb. n.
   Alloying.] [F. aloyer, OF. alier, allier, later allayer,
   fr. L. aligare. See Alloy, n., Ally, v. t., and cf.
   Allay.]
   1. To reduce the purity of by mixing with a less valuable
      substance; as, to alloy gold with silver or copper, or
      silver with copper.
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   2. To mix, as metals, so as to form a compound.
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   3. To abate, impair, or debase by mixture; to allay; as, to
      alloy pleasure with misfortunes.
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Alloy \Al*loy"\, v. t.
   To form a metallic compound.
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         Gold and iron alloy with ease.           --Ure.
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Alloy \Al*loy"\, n. [OE. alai, OF. alei, F. aloyer, to alloy,
   alier to ally. See Alloy, v. t.]
   1. Any combination or compound of metals fused together; a
      mixture of metals; for example, brass, which is an alloy
      of copper and zinc. But when mercury is one of the metals,
      the compound is called an amalgam.
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   2. The quality, or comparative purity, of gold or silver;
      fineness.
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   3. A baser metal mixed with a finer.
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            Fine silver is silver without the mixture of any
            baser metal. Alloy is baser metal mixed with it.
                                                  --Locke.
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   4. Admixture of anything which lessens the value or detracts
      from; as, no happiness is without alloy. "Pure English
      without Latin alloy." --F. Harrison.
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ALLOY

    A language by Thanasis Mitsolides
    which combines functional programming,
   object-oriented programming and logic programming ideas,
   and is suitable for massively parallel systems.

   Evaluating modes support serial or parallel execution, eager
   evaluation or lazy evaluation, nondeterminism or multiple
   solutions etc.  ALLOY is simple as it only requires 29
   primitives in all (half of which are for object oriented
   programming support).

   It runs on SPARC.

   <ftp://cs.nyu.edu/pub/local/alloy/>.

   ["The Design and Implementation of ALLOY, a Parallel Higher
   Level Programming Language", Thanasis Mitsolides
   , PhD Thesis NYU 1990].

   (1991-06-11)

ALLOY, or ALLAY. An inferior metal, used with gold. and silver in making
coin or public money. Originally, it was one of the allowances known by the
name of remedy for errors, in the weight and purity of coins. The practice
of making such allowances continued in all European mints after the reasons,
upon which they were originally founded, had, in a great measure, ceased. In
the imperfection of the art of coining, the mixture of the metals used, and
the striking of the coins, could not be effected with, perfect accuracy.
There would be some variety in the mixture of metals made at different
times, although intended to be in the same proportions, and in different
pieces of coin, although struck by the same process and from the same die.
But the art of coining metals has now so nearly attained perfection, that
such allowances have become, if not altogether, in a great measure at least,
unnecessary. The laws of the United States make no allowance for
deficiencies of weight. See Report of the Secretary of State of the United
States, to the Senate of the U. S., Feb. 22, 1821, pp. 63, 64.
     2. The act of Congress of 2d of April, 1792, sect. 12, directs that the
standard for all gold coins of the United States, shall be eleven parts fine
to one part of alloy; and sect. 13, that the standard for all silver coins
of the United States, shall be one thousand four hundred and eighty-five
parts fine, to one hundred and seventy-nine parts alloy. 1 Story's L. U. S.
20. By the act of Congress, 18th Feb. 1831, Sec. 8, it is provided, that the
standard for both gold and silver coin of the United States, shall be such,
that of one thousand parts by weight, nine hundred shall be of pure metal,
and one hundred of alloy;  and the alloy of the silver coins shall be of
copper, and the alloy of gold coins shall be of copper and silver, provided,
that the silver do not exceed one-half of the whole alloy. See also, Smith's
Wealth of Nations, vol. i., pp. 49, 50.