verb (used with object), al·leged, al·leg·ing.
- to assert without proof.
- to declare with positiveness; affirm; assert: to allege a fact.
- to declare before a court or elsewhere, as if under oath.
- to plead in support of; offer as a reason or excuse.
- Archaic. to cite or quote in confirmation.
verb (tr; may take a clause as object)
- to declare in or as if in a court of law; state without or before proofhe alleged malpractice
- to put forward (an argument or plea) for or against an accusation, claim, etc
- archaic to cite or quote, as to confirm
c.1300. It has the form of one French verb and the meaning of another. The form is Anglo-French aleger, Old French eslegier “to clear at law,” from Latin ex- “out of” (see ex-) and litigare “bring suit” (see litigate); however eslegier meant “acquit, clear of charges in a lawsuit.” It somehow acquired the meaning of French alléguer, from Latin allegare “send for, bring forth, name, produce in evidence,” from ad- “to” (see ad-) + legare “to depute, send” (see legate). Related: Alleged; alleging.