allegare

Allegare is an Italian verb used mainly to mean attaching a document to a message or filing a document with a letter, email, or formal submission. It is also used to indicate presenting something as a reason, evidence, or basis for a statement or action in legal, administrative, or argumentative contexts. In everyday language, it is most often found in phrases like allegare un file or allegare un curriculum, where the action is to include an external document with the communication.

The noun allegazione refers to the act of attaching or the content that has been attached, and it can also denote the presentation of evidence or arguments in a formal document. A related adjective, allegato, describes the item that has been attached (for example, l’allegato di un’e-mail).

Etymology traces allegare to forms borrowed into Italian from French alléguer, meaning to bring forward or to cite, with roots in Latin and common among legal and bureaucratic vocabulary in various Romance languages. Over time, the verb has broadened from its original sense of attachment to include the notion of presenting reasons or proofs within a textual argument or proceeding.

Grammatical notes: allegare is a regular -are verb. It conjugates in the usual way for Italian -are verbs (present indicative: io allego, tu alleghi, lui allega, noi alleghiamo, voi alleghiate, loro alleggono; passato prossimo: ho allegato; gerund: allegando). The word is widely understood across Italian-speaking regions and is common in professional correspondence, court documents, and administrative communications.