allegare

allegare¹ attach, enclose

Etymology tree of allegare¹

inherited borrowed derived

Latin ligō

Aromanian leg

Catalan lligar

French lier

Spanish liar

Italian legare

Romanian lega

Spanish ligar

Latin alligō

Italian allegare

Romanian alega

From the same root · allegare¹

Latin circumligō ← ligō

Latin colligō ← ligō

Latin dēligō ← ligō

Latin illigō ← ligō

Latin ligāmen ← ligō

Latin ligāmentum ← ligō

Latin ligātūra ← ligō

Latin obligō ← ligō

Latin religō ← ligō

English lea ← lier

Romanian câșlegi ← lega

Spanish liga ← ligar

French rallier ← alligō

Latin alligantia ← alligō

Pronunciation

• /al.leˈɡa.re/^[1]

Forms

allegare (first-person singular present allégo or allègo, first-person singular past historic allegài, past participle allegàto, auxiliary avére)^[1]

Etymology

The word for “attach, enclose” is inherited from Latin alligāre (“to bind to, fasten”), formed on ligō (“to tie”) with ad-.^[2][3][4][1] DEI calls it semi-learned.^[5]

The Latin verb continues in Romanian a se alega, Old French alier “to unite”, Old Occitan aliar “to combine metals”, Catalan aleyar and Galician alear.^[4][6] The French verb, in French allier, gave Spanish alear and Italian alleare, a doublet of this word.^[3][6][1]

From “to bind” three senses grew: making an alloy, the feeling in the teeth that they are tied together, and the passage from flower to fruit.^[4] GRADIT instead derives the sense “to alloy” from lega with ad- and -are, and Nocentini and GRADIT put the sense “to enclose” under the borrowing from allēgō.^[7][3] De Vaan connects the simple verb, with some doubt, with the root Proto-Indo-European *liǵ- (“to tie”).^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in the Sienese poet Ruggieri Apugliese, in the middle of the 13th century.^[9][3] Bono Giamboni (before 1292) uses it for the rough feeling that sour tastes or shrill noises leave on the teeth.^[2][10]

Semantic evolution

In the 14th century the verb meant making an alloy (Pegolotti, 1347), and the reflexive meant making a league or alliance (Giovanni Villani, before 1348); the reflexive sense fell out of use after Serdonati (1597).^[2] Lorenzo de' Medici (before 1492) used it for fruit setting after flowering.^[2]

The sense of enclosing letters appears in Machiavelli (1510), and dictionaries record it from 1846.^[4][2] In computing it now means attaching a file to an e-mail.^[11][1]

Timeline

• About 1250 – Ruggieri Apugliese uses the verb.^[9]
• Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses it of the teeth.^[2]
• 1347 – Pegolotti uses it for making an alloy.^[2]
• Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses allegarsi for forming an alliance.^[2]
• Before 1492 – Lorenzo de' Medici uses it for fruit setting.^[2]
• 1510 – Machiavelli uses it for enclosing letters.^[4]
• 1846 – The sense “to enclose” is recorded by Azzocchi.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To enclose, attach to a letter or document: allego alla lettera due fotografie.^[11][10][12]
2. (computing) To attach a file to an e-mail.^[11][1]
3. Of sour fruit or shrill noises, to set one's teeth on edge: le prugne acerbe allegano i denti.^[11][10][13]
4. (intransitive, botany) Of a flower, to set, begin to turn into fruit.^[10][12][13]
5. (archaic) To alloy metals.^[10][12][13]
6. (archaic, reflexive) To form an alliance.^[10][12][13]

Word family

• allegato
• allegamento
• allegagione
• allegante

allegare² allege, adduce

Etymology tree of allegare²

inherited borrowed derived

Latin lēx

French loi

Italian legge

Romanian lege

Spanish ley

Latin legō

Italian legare

Latin allēgō

Italian allegare

From the same root · allegare²

Latin exlēx ← lēx

Latin lēgālis ← lēx

Latin lēgifer ← lēx

Latin lēgislātiō ← lēx

Latin lēgislātor ← lēx

Latin legista ← lēx

Latin lēgitimus ← lēx

Latin prīvilēgium ← lēx

Latin ablēgō ← legō

Latin collēga ← legō

Latin dēlēgō ← legō

Latin ēligō ← legō

Latin lēgātia ← legō

Latin lēgātiō ← legō

Latin lēgātus ← legō

Latin praelēgō ← legō

Latin relēgō ← legō

Latin supellex ← legō

Latin allēgātiō ← allēgō

Pronunciation

• /al.leˈɡa.re/^[1]

Forms

allegare (first-person singular present allégo or allègo, first-person singular past historic allegài, past participle allegàto, auxiliary avére)^[1]

Etymology

The word for “allege, adduce” is learned: it is borrowed from Latin allēgāre (“to dispatch, depute; to cite”).^{[2][3][14][1]} DELI derives the Latin verb from lēx (“law”) with ad-, and Nocentini from lēgō (“to send as envoy”) with the same prefix.^[2][3][15] Tommaseo explains the sense “to adduce” from an older “to send for a purpose”.^[16]

It is a legal term, borrowed in the same way into Romansh allegar, French alléguer (from 1246), Old Occitan alegar, Catalan al·legar, Spanish alegar (from 1250) and Portuguese alegar.^[14][3] The inherited outcomes are Old French aleier and Old Occitan aleiar “to declare under oath”.^[6][17] Devoto thought the Latin word was crossed with alligō.^[18]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Brunetto Latini's Rettorica (about 1260–1261), where it means bringing forward something as proof or testimony.^[9][11]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian used the verb for arguing a case, also in law, for objecting, and for quoting or citing.^[9] Many regional texts have it, from Modena (1377) to Sicily.^[14]

Later phrases include allegare a sospetto (1600), declaring someone's authority suspect.^[14] Guicciardini mocked those who a ogni parola allegano e' Romani, “cite the Romans at every word”.^[12]

Timeline

• About 1260–1261 – Brunetto Latini uses the verb.^[9]
• Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca uses allegazione.^[2]
• 1377 – Modenese alegare is recorded.^[14]
• 1673 – Allegabile is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To adduce, put forward as proof, excuse or justification: allegò un certificato medico a sua difesa.^[7][11][13]
2. To cite, quote in support.^[12][19][1]
3. (law) To make an allegation (allegazione).^[20]

Word family

• allegazione
• allegabile