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Webster 1913 Edition
Allege
Al-lege′
(ăl-lĕj′)
, Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Alleged
(-lĕjd′)
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Alleging
.] [OE.
aleggen
to bring forward as evidence, OF. esligier
to buy, prop. to free from legal difficulties, fr. an assumed LL. exlitigare
; L. ex
+ litigare
to quarrel, sue (see Litigate
). The word was confused with L. allegare
(see Allegation
), and lex
law. Cf. Allay
.] 1.
To bring forward with positiveness; to declare; to affirm; to assert;
as, to
. allege
a fact2.
To cite or quote;
as, to
. allege
the authority of a judge[Archaic]
3.
To produce or urge as a reason, plea, or excuse;
as, he refused to lend,
. alleging
a resolution against lending
Syn. – To bring forward; adduce; advance; assign; produce; declare; affirm; assert; aver; predicate.
Webster 1828 Edition
Allege
ALLEGE.
[See Alledge.]Definition 2024
allege
allege
English
Alternative forms
Verb
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 d’Arthur, Bk.V:
- and suffir never your soveraynté to be alledged with your subjects, nother the soveraygne of your persone and londys.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.ii:
- Hart that is inly hurt, is greatly eased / With hope of thing, that may allegge his smart […].
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur, Bk.V:
Etymology 2
From Middle English aleggen, from Anglo-Norman aleger, the form from Old French esligier, from Medieval Latin *exlītigāre (“to clear at law”), from Latin ex (“out”) + lītigō (“sue at law”), the meaning from Old French alleguer, from Latin allēgāre, present active infinitive of allēgō (“send, depute; relate, mention, adduce”), from ad (“to”) + lēgō (“send”).
Verb
allege (third-person singular simple present alleges, present participle alleging, simple past and past participle alleged)
- (obsolete, transitive) To state under oath, to plead.
- (archaic) To cite or quote an author or his work for or against.
- (transitive) To adduce (something) as a reason, excuse, support etc.
- 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essayes, London: Edward Blount, OCLC 946730821, I.39:
- I will further alleage a storie […] to make us palpably feele his naturall condition.
- 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essayes, London: Edward Blount, OCLC 946730821, I.39:
- (transitive) To make a claim as justification or proof; to make an assertion without proof.
- The agency alleged my credit history had problems.
Related terms
Translations
to state under oath
to adduce as a reason, excuse, support etc.
|
assert without proof
|
See also
References
- J[ohn] A. Simpson and E[dward] S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ISBN 978-0-19-861186-8.