Forms: 3–7 aliance, 3–6 alyance, 4–5 alyaunse, allyaunce, 4–6 ali-, aly-, alliaunce, 5 alyans, alyawns, 6–8 allyance, 4– alliance. By-form 3 enlyance. [a. OFr. aliance, 14th c. alliance: see ALLY and -ANCE; repr. L. alligantia (found in med.L.) n. of state, f. alligant-em pr. pple. of alligāre. Accented allia·nce in 16th c.] The state of union or combination; the action of uniting or combining.
1. Union by marriage, affinity; union through marriage or common parentage, relationship, kinship, consanguinity.
1297. R. Glouc., 12. He bygan to loue Brut so muche … Þat he wyllede … to hym enlyance. Ibid., 295. To spouse hyre … Þat he myȝte, þoru alyance, eny help vndergo.
c. 1365. Chaucer, A. B. C., 60. He vouchedsafe … Become a man as for our alliaunce [v.r. allyaunce, aliaunce, aliance].
1393. Gower, Conf., III. 280. Which of sibred in aliaunce For ever kepten thilke usaunce.
1469. J. Paston, Lett., 612, II. 357. Consyderyng the alyans betwyx yow.
1481. Caxton, Myrr., II. viii. 85. Mariages and Alyaunces that they doo and make wyth the sarasyns.
1548. Coverdale, Erasm. Paraphr. Hebr. ii. 17. Ioyned vnto hym with so streighte a bonde of alyaunce or consanguinitie.
a. 1674. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., I. Pref. 18. The Allyance was undeniable; there were Children born of it.
1729. Burkitt, On N. T., Mark iii. 3. Alliance by faith is more valued by our Saviour, than alliance by blood.
1877. Lytteil, Landmarks, IV. viii. 225. The descendants of Scottish and Celtic alliances may have acquired the Gaelic tongue.
2. Combination for a common object, confederation, union offensive and defensive; especially between sovereign states.
1366. Maundev., xviii. 195. To breke the Alliance and the Acord.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boethius (1868), 141. Þer nis none alyaunce bytwixe good[e] folke and shrewes.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., VII. viii. 170. In fermly festnyd alyawns To þe Kyng.
1477. Earl Rivers (Caxton), Dictes, 106. Him that hath made any aliaunce or promesse with his ennemyes.
1519. Sir T. Boleyn, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., I. 53, I. 148. The unfeyned amytie and aliance that is established betwixt you.
1682. Lond. Gaz., mdcclxvii/1. An Offensive and Defensive Alliance is concluded between the French King and the Duke of Savoy.
1781. Gibbon, Decl. & F., II. xlv. 707. The peace and alliance of the two empires were faithfully maintained.
1815. Wellington, in Gurwood’s Desp., XII. 282. A treaty of alliance which I have signed with the Ministers of the Emperors of Austria and Russia.
1878. Seeley, Stein, III. 430. That Alliance of the European Sovereigns which is somewhat inaccurately spoken of as the Holy Alliance.
3. Community or relationship in nature or qualities; affinity; inclusion in the same class.
1677. R. Gilpin, Dæmon. Sac. (1867), 28. This word is ranked with others, as being of the same alliance.
1754. Sherlock, Disc. (1759), I. iv. 153. Corrupt Principles … have no Alliance with Reason.
1833. I. Taylor, Fanat., x. 451. The ordinary alliance of the moral sentiments with the imagination.
1860. Mansel, Prolegom. Log. (ed. 2), Pref. 6. The alliance established of old between Logic and Metaphysics.
† 4. collect. People united by kinship or friendship; kindred, friends, allies. Obs. [Perh. confused with Alliants, OFr. alians; cf. ACCIDENCE.]
1366. Maundev., xviii. 195. Accorded be here Frendes or be sum of here Alliance.
1393. Gower, Conf., I. 199. Thilke alliaunce, By whom the treson was compassed.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, XXVIII. 11390. Antenor also was abill of fryndes, Large of aliaunce.
1548. Udall, etc., Erasm. Paraphr. Mark vi. 4. His alyance, kinnesmen, and famyliares.
1601. Shaks., Jul. C., IV. i. 43. Therefore let our Alliance be combin’d.
1655. Gouge, Comm. Hebr. xi. 15, III. 58. This Country … where their kindred, alliance, and other friends were.
† 5. individual, A kinsman, relation or ally. Obs.
1536–7. in Reg. Abp. Lee, York MS. To Thomas Hugaite, my allyaunce, my best doublet.
1586. Ferne, Blaz. Gentrie, Ded. A worshipful friend and allyance of mine.
1654. Ussher, Annals, VII. (1658), 801. He requested that … he would give him leave to see again his alliances.
6. Bot. A name given by Lindley to groups of Natural Orders of plants, considered to be allied to each other in general structure; thus the Glumal Alliance of Endogens contains the Grasses, Cyperaceæ, and three other allied orders.
1836. Lindley, Nat. Syst. (ed. 2), xiv. Classes, sub-classes, groups, alliances, and orders. Ibid. (1838), in Penny Cycl., X. 126. The terminations of the names express their value; the groups end in -osæ; the alliances in -ales; the orders in -aceæ; the suborders in -eæ. Ibid. (1848), Veg. Kingd., 8. The near approach of the two realms being through the Algal alliance.
1866. J. Balfour, in Treas. Bot., 267. A natural order of dicotyledons, characterizing Lindley’s chenopodal alliance.
¶ By confusion, for ALLEGIANCE.
a. 1581. Campion, Hist. Irel., II. i. 58. The subjects whom they had schooled, to breake allyance towards the King of Leinster.
1714. Burnet, Hist. Ref., III. The bishops did all renew their alliance to the king.
