allude

English

Etymology

From Middle French alluder, from Latin alludere (“to play with or allude”), from ad + ludere (“to play”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈluːd/, SAMPA: /@"lu:d/

Verb

allude (third-person singular simple present alludes, present participle alluding, simple past and past participle alluded)

1. (intransitive) To refer to something indirectly or by suggestion

   The story alludes to a recent event.

   • 1597, Richard Hooker, Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, Book V, Chapter xxix.3, 1841 ed., page 523:

     These speeches . . . do seem to allude unto such ministerial garments as were then in use.

Synonyms

• advert, hint, imply, indicate, insinuate, intimate, point, refer, signify, suggest

Derived terms

• allusive
• allusion

Related terms

• delude
• elude
• illude

Translations

refer to something indirectly or by suggestion

Bulgarian: споменавам (bg), загатвам (bg) Croatian: aludirati (hr) Finnish: viitata (fi), vihjata (fi) Romanian: face aluzie (ro), referi (ro)

Russian: намекать (ru) (namekát') impf., намекнуть (ru) (nameknút') pf.; упоминать (ru) (upominát') impf., упомянуть (ru) (upomjanút') pf. Scottish Gaelic: luaidh (gd) Spanish: aludir (es), referirse (es)

References

• allude in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• aludel

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Italian

Verb

allude

1. third-person singular present indicative of alludere

Anagrams

• duella

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Latin

Verb

allūde

1. second-person singular present active imperative of allūdō