Allied

How to spell allied

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce allied

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does allied mean?

1. adjectiveJoined together by treaty, agreement, or a shared cause.
2. verbJoined or associated oneself with another for mutual benefit.

Allied in a sentence

• adjective

  The allied nations signed a joint defence agreement.

• verb

  The small firm allied itself with a larger competitor to survive.

• adjective

  The company works closely with allied suppliers across the region.

• verb

  Several unions allied together to negotiate better pay.

Where does allied come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb alligare, which meant 'to bind to' or 'to tie one thing to another', formed from the prefix ad- ('to') and the verb ligare ('to bind'). That same ligare lies behind a surprising family of English words, including 'ligament' (the tissue that binds bones) and 'oblige'. Latin alligare passed into Old French as alier, 'to combine or unite', and Middle English borrowed it in the 1300s as the verb 'ally', meaning to join in a formal bond, especially between rulers, nations, or families. 'Allied' is simply the past and participial form, which hardened into an adjective describing things joined by treaty or common purpose, a sense made famous by the Allied powers of the two World Wars. The doubled l survives because the original Latin prefix ad- assimilated to the following l, giving al-, and that is exactly the spot writers stumble when they drop a letter.

How the word is built

• al- (Latin ad-, 'to')
• li (from ligare, 'to bind')
• -ed (past participle / adjective suffix)