[al.lege] vt al.leged ; al.leg.ing [ME alleggen, fr. MF alleguer, fr. L allegare to dispatch, cite, fr. ad- + legare to depute--more at legate] (14c) 1 archaic: to adduce or bring forward as a source or authority
2: to assert without proof or before proving "the newspaper ~s the mayor's guilt"
3: to bring forward as a reason or excuse