# allege

Pronunciation: US say "uh-LEJ" /əˈlɛd͡ʒ/; UK

## Verb

1. To put forward a claim as justification or proof; to assert something without offering proof.
   - Simple: To say that something is true or that someone did something, without showing proof.
   - _Prosecutors allege that the company hid millions in offshore accounts._
   - _Critics alleged that the study's data had been manipulated._
2. To bring forward or cite something as a reason, excuse, or ground of support.
   - Simple: To give something as a reason or excuse for what you did.
   - _In her defense, she alleged years of loyal service to the firm._
   - _The committee can allege budget constraints to justify almost any delay._
4. To make something lighter or less in amount or strength.
   - Simple: To make something lighter, smaller, or less strong.

## Verb

3. To cite or quote an author or text as an authority for or against a position. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To mention or quote a writer's words to support or attack an argument.
   - _Medieval disputants alleged Augustine on both sides of the question._
   - _Renaissance writers would allege Cicero to lend weight to their own prose._
5. To declare something formally under oath, or to plead a matter before a court. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To say something officially in court while under oath.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 5** — From Middle English "aleggen," perhaps from Old French "alleguer" or Anglo-Norman "aleger." The form may go back through Old French "esligier" ("to acquit") to Medieval Latin "*exlītigāre" ("to clear at law"), from Latin "ex" ("out") plus "lītigō" ("sue at law"). The meaning, however, comes from Old French "alleguer," from Latin "allēgāre" ("to relate, mention, adduce"), from "ad" ("to") plus "lēgō" ("send").
**Meaning 4** — From Middle English "alleggen," from Old French "alegier," from Latin "alleviāre" ("to lighten"), from "ad" plus "levis" ("light"). It is a doublet of "alleviate."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/allege (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).