Fine silver is silver without the mixture of any baser metal. Alloy is baser metal mixed with it.
Locke.
4. Admixture of anything which lessens the value or detracts from; as, no happiness is without alloy. "Pure English without Latin alloy." F. Harrison.
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.