alley

Multiple Entries:
  alley    ally  

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
alley1

▶noun (pl. alleys)

• 1 a narrow passageway between or behind buildings.

  ■ a path in a park or garden.

• 2 a long, narrow area in which skittles or bowling are played.

• 3 N. Amer. Tennis either of the two side strips between the service court and the sidelines.

  ■ Baseball the area between the outfielders in left-centre or right-centrefield.

– origin ME: from OFr. alee ‘walking or passage’, from aler ‘go’, from L. ambulare ‘to walk’.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
alley2

▶noun (pl. alleys) variant spelling of ally2.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
ally1 /ˈalʌɪ/

▶noun (pl. allies) a person or organization that cooperates with another.

■ a state formally cooperating with another for a military or other purpose.

■ (the Allies) the countries that fought with Britain in the First and Second World Wars.

▶verb also /əˈlʌɪ/ (allies, allying, allied)

• 1 (ally oneself with) side with.

• 2 (ally something to/with) combine a resource or commodity with (another) for mutual benefit.

– origin ME: from OFr. alier, from L. alligare ‘bind together’; cf. alloy.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
ally2 /ˈali/ (also alley)

▶noun (pl. allies) a toy marble.

– origin C18: perh. a dimin. of alabaster, choice marbles being made orig. of alabaster or marble.