alley

alley
alley1
/al"ee/, n., pl. alleys.
1. a passage, as through a continuous row of houses, permitting access from the street to backyards, garages, etc.
2. a narrow back street.
3. a walk, as in a garden, enclosed with hedges or shrubbery.
4. Bowling.
a. a long, narrow, wooden lane or floor along which the ball is rolled.
b. (often pl.) a building for bowling.
5. Tennis. the space on each side of a tennis court between the doubles sideline and the service or singles sideline.
6. Rare. an aisle.
7. up or down one's alley, Informal. in keeping with or satisfying one's abilities, interests, or tastes: If you like science fiction, this book will be right up your alley.
[1350-1400; ME al(e)y < MF alee walk, passage, deriv. of fem. of ale, ptp. of aler to walk (F aller), prob. < VL *allari, regularized from allatus, the suppletive ptp. of afferre to bring (pass. afferri to be moved, conveyed, to betake oneself); F aller often allegedly < L ambulare to walk (see AMBLE), but this offers grave phonetic problems, since the m and b would not normally be lost]
Syn. 2. See street.
alley2
/al"ee/, n., pl. alleys. Chiefly Northeastern U.S.
a choice, large playing marble.
[1710-20; prob. AL(ABASTER) + -Y2, sp. to conform with ALLEY1]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Alley — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Alphonse Amadou Alley (1930–1987), Präsident von Dahomey (heute: Benin) 1967/68 Candice Alley (* 1983), australische Sängerin und Songwriterin Fred Alley (1963–2001), US amerikanischer Librettist Gene… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • alley — alley1 [al′ē] n. pl. alleys [ME aly < OFr alee < aler (Fr aller), to go < ML alare, contr. < L ambulare, to walk: see AMBLE] 1. a lane in a garden or park, bordered by trees or shrubs 2. a narrow street or walk, specif., a lane behind …   English World dictionary

  • Alley — Al ley, n.; pl. {Alleys}. [OE. aley, alley, OF. al[ e]e, F. all[ e]e, a going, passage, fr. OE. aler, F. aller, to go; of uncertain origin: cf. Prov. anar, It. andare, Sp. andar.] 1. A narrow passage; especially a walk or passage in a garden or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • alley — (n.) mid 14c., passage in a house; open passage between buildings; walkway in a garden, from O.Fr. alee (13c., Mod.Fr. allée) a path, passage, way, corridor, also a going, from fem. of ale, pp. of aler to go, which ultimately may be a contraction …   Etymology dictionary

  • Alley — Al ley, n.; pl. {Alleys}. [A contraction of alabaster, of which it was originally made.] A choice taw or marble. Dickens. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • alley — index way (channel) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • alley — [ˈæli] or alleyway [ˈæliˌweɪ] noun [C] a narrow street or passage between buildings …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

  • alley — has the plural form alleys …   Modern English usage

  • alley — [n] narrow passage alleyway, back street, lane, passageway, path, pathway, walk; concept 501 …   New thesaurus

  • alley — ► NOUN (pl. alleys) 1) a narrow passageway between or behind buildings. 2) a path in a park or garden. 3) a long, narrow area in which skittles and bowling are played. ORIGIN Old French alee walking or passage , from Latin ambulare to walk …   English terms dictionary

  • Alley — Mårten Trotzigs Gränd, 90 cm wide, the narrowest alley in Gamla stan, Stockholm Alley in downtown …   Wikipedia

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