Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (v. t.) To make quiet or calm; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm; as, to allay one's fears; to allay the tumult of the passions. 2. (v. t.) To alleviate; to abate; to mitigate; as, to allay the severity of affliction or the bitterness of adversity. 3. (v. t.) To diminish in strength; to abate; to subside. 4. (n.) Alleviation; abatement; check. 5. (n.) Alloy. 6. (v. t.) To mix (metals); to mix with a baser metal; to alloy; to deteriorate. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia ALLAY a-la' (heniach, "to cause to rest," "soothe": "Gentleness allayeth (lit., "pacifieth") great offenses" (Ecclesiastes 10:4)): The word is applied to what "excites, disturbs and makes uneasy" (Smith, Synonyms Discriminated, 106).