allegation
/ˌæl.ɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/ noun
Forms allegations
- noun An assertion, especially an accusation, not necessarily based on facts. “She put forth several allegations regarding her partner in hopes of discrediting his actions.”
- noun The act of alleging.
Synonyms
accusation assertion censure charge crimination impeachment allegement
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French allégation, from Latin allegatio, from allegare. By surface analysis, allege + -ation, see allege.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act of alleging or positively asserting.
- noun That which is alleged, asserted, or declared; positive assertion; formal averment I thought their allegation but reasonable. Steele.
Etymology [L. allegatio, fr. allegare, allegatum, to send a message, cite; later, to free by giving reasons; ad + legare to send, commission. Cf. Allege and Adlegation.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “allegation”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details