noun / verb
alloy
AL-oy/ˈælɔɪ/
A mixture of a metal with one or more other elements.
Combining copper and tin produces bronze, an alloy cast into an ingot.

Etymology
Binding things together is the underlying image: metals are joined into a mixture. The noun first concerned a noble metal’s purity, then expanded to mixtures without implying that one metal was inferior.
In context
26 alternating layers, 1 to 4 microns dark bismuth with a hundred to two hundred microns of silver magnesium zinc alloy.
More examples
- Bronze is an alloy containing copper and tin.
- Engineers alloy metals to obtain useful combinations of properties.
- The furnace is used for alloying several metals.
Forms
alloy · alloys · alloyed · alloying