Legal Dictionary

allege

Legal Definition of allege

Verb

  1. declare, esp. without proof
  2. advance as an argument or excuse

Definition of allege

Alternative spellings

  • alledge

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)

  1. (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)

  1. (transitive) To make a claim, a plea or offer justification for an act, especially before proof is available.
  2. (transitive) To make a statement under oath.
  3. (transitive) To make a mere assertion without any proof.

    The agency alleged my credit history had problems.

  4. (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:

  1. Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.



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