Allegations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Claims or assertions made without proof, typically in a legal context
2. Statements that suggest wrongdoing or misconduct, often requiring further investigation or verification
3. Accusations made against an individual or entity, which may or may not have substantiating evidence

Etymology: "Allegations" is simply the plural of "allegation", so its story is that of the singular noun. The base is the verb "allege", which came into English from Middle French "alleger" and ultimately from Latin "allegare", meaning to send away or to dispatch on a mission, with the sense of "to set forth" or "to bring forward" emerging from that. The noun "allegation" was borrowed from Middle French "allegation", itself from Latin "allegatio", and the English form combines "allege" with the suffix "-ation", which forms nouns of action or result. The surprise lies in the original idea. Latin "allegare" was built from "ad" (to) and "legare" (to send as an envoy), so at root it meant to dispatch someone on a mission. The sense of putting something forward as a claim grew naturally out of that: a person sent forward to present a case was, in effect, bringing it into view. Over time, the act of presenting a case became the case itself, which is why "allegation" today refers to the claim rather than the act of making it.

Synonyms: claims, assertions, accusations, charges, contentions

Antonyms: denials, defenses, absolutions, justifications, exculpations