Etymology

alley

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Today it means: A narrow street or passageway, especially one through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots of buildings. Full definition →

Middle English aleye ← Anglo-Norman aleie
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alley · noun1

  1. Anglo-Norman · derived fromaleie
  2. Middle English · inherited fromaleye
  3. English todayalley

From Middle English aleye, from Anglo-Norman aleie, feminine of alé, past participle of aler (“to go”) (French aller). Doublet of allée.

alley · noun2

Diminutive of alabaster, from which they were once made.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.