allege
VerbOpen English WordNet
Verb (1)alleges, alleged, alleging
- report or maintain“He alleged that he was the victim of a crime”“He said it was too late to intervene in the war”“The registrar says that I owe the school money”Synonyms: aversayMore general assert, asseverateMore specific plead
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: 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 fact.
2. 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.
Synonyms: To bring forward; adduce; advance; assign; produce; declare; affirm; assert; aver; predicate.
Origin: See Allay.
To alleviate; to lighten, as a burden or a trouble. obsolete John Wyclif
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54