allege. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

allege

SYLLABICATION:	al·lege
PRONUNCIATION:	-lj
TRANSITIVE VERB:	Inflected forms: al·leged, al·leg·ing, al·leg·es 1. To assert to be true; affirm: alleging his innocence of the charge. 2. To assert without or before proof: The indictment alleges that the commissioner took bribes. 3. To state (a plea or excuse, for example) in support or denial of a claim or accusation: The defendant alleges temporary insanity. 4. Archaic To bring forward as an authority.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English alleggen, from Old French alegier, to vindicate, justify (influenced by aleguer, to give a reason), from esligier, to pay a fine, justify oneself, from Late Latin ^*exltigre, to clear at law : Latin ex-, out; see ex– + Latin ltigre, to sue; see litigate.
OTHER FORMS:	al·legea·ble —ADJECTIVE al·leger —NOUN


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.