What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Ally vs Pair - What's the difference?

ally | pair | Related terms |

Ally is a related term of pair.


As a proper noun ally

is a diminutive of the female given names alison, alice and alexandra.

As a noun pair is

two similar or identical things taken together; often followed by of.

As a verb pair is

to group into sets of two or pair can be (obsolete) to impair.

ally

English

(Webster 1913)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) alien, (etyl) alier (Modern French allier), from (etyl) . Compare alligate, allay, alloy and ligament.

Verb

(en-verb)
  • To unite, or form a connection between, as between families by marriage, or between princes and states by treaty, league, or confederacy
  • * (rfdate) :
  • O chief! in blood, and now in arms allied .
  • To connect or form a relation between by similitude, resemblance, friendship, or love.
  • * (rfdate) :
  • These three did love each other dearly well, And with so firm affection were allied .
  • * (rfdate) :
  • The virtue nearest to our vice allied .
    Usage notes
    * Generally used in the passive form or reflexively. * Often followed by to'' or ''with .
    Synonyms
    * make common cause

    Noun

    (allies)
  • One united to another by treaty or league; — usually applied to sovereigns or states; a confederate.
  • * (rfdate) :
  • the English soldiers and their French allies
  • Anything associated with another as a helper; an auxiliary.
  • * (rfdate) Buckle:
  • Science, instead of being the enemy of religion, becomes its ally.
  • Anything akin to something else by structure, etc.
  • (taxonomy) A closely related species, usually within the same family.
  • Gruiformes — cranes and allies
  • (obsolete) A relative; a kinsman.
  • (Shakespeare)

    Etymology 2

    Diminutive of alabaster.

    Noun

    (allies)
  • (a glass marble or taw)
  • References

    *

    Anagrams

    * English heteronyms

    pair

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) paire, from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • Two similar or identical things taken together; often followed by of.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-14, author=(Jonathan Freedland)
  • , volume=189, issue=1, page=18, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Obama's once hip brand is now tainted , passage=Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet. Perhaps we assume that our name, address and search preferences will be viewed by some unseen pair of corporate eyes, probably not human, and don't mind that much.}}
  • Two people in a relationship, partnership (especially sexual) or friendship.
  • Used with binary nouns (often in the plural to indicate multiple instances, since such nouns are plurale tantum)
  • A couple of working animals attached to work together, as by a yoke.
  • (cards) A poker hand that contains of two cards of identical rank, which cannot also count as a better hand.
  • (cricket) A score of zero runs (a duck) in both innings of a two-innings match
  • (baseball, informal) A double play, two outs recorded in one play
  • (baseball, informal) A doubleheader, two games played on the same day between the same teams
  • (slang) A pair of breasts
  • (Australia, politics) The exclusion of one member of a parliamentary party from a vote, if a member of the other party is absent for important personal reasons.
  • Two members of opposite parties or opinion, as in a parliamentary body, who mutually agree not to vote on a given question, or on issues of a party nature during a specified time.
  • There were two pairs on the final vote.
  • (archaic) A number of things resembling one another, or belonging together; a set.
  • * Charles Dickens
  • plunging myself into poverty and shabbiness and love in one room up three pair of stairs
  • * Beaumont and Fletcher
  • Two crowns in my pocket, two pair of cards.
  • (kinematics) In a mechanism, two elements, or bodies, which are so applied to each other as to mutually constrain relative motion; named in accordance with the motion it permits, as in turning pair'', ''sliding pair'', ''twisting pair .
  • Synonyms
    * two objects in a group: duo, dyad, couple, brace, twosome, duplet * (pair of breasts) See also
    Derived terms
    * on a pair * grow a pair * in pairs * king pair * pair-horse * pair-oar(ed) * pair production * pair skating * royal pair * strap on a pair

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To group into sets of two.
  • * Alexander Pope
  • Glossy jet is paired with shining white.
    The wedding guests were paired boy/girl and groom's party/bride's party.
  • To bring two (animals, notably dogs) together for mating.
  • (politics, slang) To engage (oneself) with another of opposite opinions not to vote on a particular question or class of questions.
  • To suit; to fit, as a counterpart.
  • * Rowe
  • My heart was made to fit and pair with thine.
    (Webster 1913)
  • (computing) to form wireless connection between to devices
  • *{{quote-web
  • , date = yyyy-mm-dd , author =Microsoft , title = How-to: Keyboards , site = http://www.microsoft.com , url = http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/help/support/how-to/keyboard/bluetooth , accessdate = 2015-02-21 }}
    If your computer has a built-in, non-Microsoft transceiver, you can pair the device directly to the computer by using your computer’s Bluetooth software configuration program but without using the Microsoft Bluetooth transceiver.
    Derived terms
    * pairing * pair off * pair up

    Etymology 2

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To impair.
  • (Spenser)

    Anagrams

    * 1000 English basic words ----