alloy
Other forms: alloys; alloyed; alloying
You may have heard of aluminum alloy on a car. What that means is that there is another metal mixed in with the aluminum, to save money and/or to strengthen the wheels. The wheels are an alloy (a mix), rather than pure.
In addition to indicating a dilution of one metal with another, alloy can refer to the dilution of a feeling or a quality. Knowing that you look awesome in your Halloween costume would be an alloy to the embarrassment of showing up to a party where you are the only one in a costume.
Definitions of alloy
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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”
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synonyms:
metal
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types:
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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)
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18-karat gold
an alloy that contains 75 per cent gold
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22-karat gold
an alloy that contains 87 per cent gold
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oreide, oroide
alloy of copper and tin and zinc; used in imitation gold jewelry
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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
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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
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fusible metal
an alloy with a low melting point and used as solder and in safety plugs and sprinkler fuses
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electrum
an alloy of gold and silver
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pewter
any of various alloys of tin with small amounts of other metals (especially lead)
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pinchbeck
an alloy of copper and zinc that is used in cheap jewelry to imitate gold
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pot metal
an alloy of copper and lead used especially for making large pots
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solder
an alloy (usually of lead and tin) used when melted to join two metal surfaces
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white gold
a pale alloy of gold usually with platinum or nickel or palladium
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type metal
an alloy of tin and lead and antimony used to make printing type
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bearing metal, white metal
an alloy (often of lead or tin base) used for bearings
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Babbitt metal, babbitt
an alloy of tin with some copper and antimony; a lining for bearings that reduces friction
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Britannia metal
an alloy similar to pewter
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Carboloy
an alloy based on tungsten with cobalt or nickel as a binder; used in making metal-cutting tools
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steel
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
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cheoplastic metal
any alloy that fuses at low temperatures and can be used molding artificial teeth
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copper-base alloy
any alloy whose principal component is copper
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dental gold
an alloy of gold used in dentistry
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Duralumin
an aluminum-based alloy
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Inconel
a nickel-base alloy with chromium and iron; used in gas-turbine blades
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Invar
an alloy of iron and nickel having a low coefficient of thermal expansion; used in tuning forks and measuring tapes and other instruments
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nickel alloy, nickel-base alloy
an alloy whose main constituent is nickel
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German silver, nickel silver
a silver-white alloy containing copper and zinc and nickel
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pyrophoric alloy
an alloy that emits sparks when struck or scratched with steel; used in lighter flints
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shot metal
an alloy that is 98% lead and 2% arsenic; used in making small shot
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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
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sterling silver
a silver alloy with no more than 7.5% copper
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tambac, tombac, tombak
an alloy of copper and zinc (and sometimes arsenic) used to imitate gold in cheap jewelry and for gilding
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Wood's alloy, Wood's metal
a fusible alloy that is half bismuth plus lead, tin, and cadmium; melts at about 160 degrees Fahrenheit
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slug, type slug
a strip of type metal used for spacing
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alloy steel
steel who characteristics are determined by the addition of other elements in addition to carbon
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brass
an alloy of copper and zinc
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bronze
an alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements; also any copper-base alloy containing other elements in place of tin
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cupronickel
a 60/40 alloy of copper and nickel
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hard solder
solder that contains copper; melts at a relatively high temperature; used for brazing
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silver solder
a solder that contains silver
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soft solder
solder that melts at a relatively low temperature
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Monel metal, Monell metal
an alloy of nickel and copper and other metals (such as iron and/or manganese and/or aluminum)
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aluminium bronze, aluminum bronze
an alloy of copper and aluminum with high tensile strength and resistance to corrosion
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austenitic steel
steel that has enough nickel and chromium or manganese to retain austenite at atmospheric temperatures
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case-hardened steel
steel with a surface that is much harder than the interior metal
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carbon steel
steel whose characteristics are determined by the amount of carbon it contains
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crucible steel
steel made by the mixture of molten wrought iron, charcoal, and other substances in a crucible
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Damascus steel, Damask steel
a hard resilient steel often decorated and used for sword blades
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chisel steel
steel used in making chisels
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Eureka, constantan
an alloy of copper and nickel with high electrical resistance and a low temperature coefficient; used as resistance wire
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ferrocerium
a pyrophoric alloy of iron with cerium; used for lighter flints
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hard steel
steel with more than 0.3% carbon
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medium steel
steel with 0.15-0.3% carbon
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low-carbon steel, mild steel, soft-cast steel
steel with less than 0.15% carbon
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misch metal
a pyrophoric alloy made from a mixture of rare-earth metals
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Nichrome
an alloy of nickel and chromium with high electrical resistance and an ability to withstand high temperatures; used for resistance heating elements
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Permalloy
an 80/20 alloy of nickel and iron; easily magnetized and demagnetized
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quenched steel
steel that has been hardened by immersing it in water or oil to cool it
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structural steel
a strong steel that is rolled into shapes that are used in construction
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type of:
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mixture
(chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding)
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the state of impairing the quality or reducing the value of something
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synonyms:
admixture
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type of:
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impureness, impurity
the condition of being impure
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impureness, impurity
Definitions of alloy
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make an alloy of
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lower in value by increasing the base-metal content
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