Definition of allege
Alternative spellings
Pronunciation
- IPA: /əˈlɛdʒ/, SAMPA: /@.lEdZ/
- Rhymes: -ɛdʒ
Etymology 1
From Old French aleger, from Latin alleviāre, from ad- + levis ("light").
Verb
to allege (third-person singular simple present alleges, present participle alleging, simple past and past participle alleged)
- (obsolete) To lighten, diminish.
* 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book V:
and suffir never your soveraynté to be alledged with your subjects, nother the soveraygne of your persone and londys.
Etymology 2
From Middle English aleggen < Anglo-Norman aleger, the form from Old French esligier < Mediaeval Latin *exlitigare ("to clear at law") < Latin ex ("out") + litigare ("to sue at law"), the meaning from Old French alleguer < Latin allegare ("to send, depute, related, mention, adduce") < ad ("to") + legare ("to send").
Verb
to allege (third-person singular simple present alleges, present participle alleging, simple past and past participle alleged)
- (transitive) To make a claim, a plea or offer justification for an act, especially before proof is available.
- (transitive) To make a statement under oath.
- (transitive) To make a mere assertion without any proof.
The agency alleged my credit history had problems.
- (transitive) To urge a reason or excuse
Related terms
External links
- allege in Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- allege in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
References:
- Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
|