alludere

Alludere is a Latin verb meaning to allude, refer indirectly to something, or hint at it rather than state it directly. It conveys the sense of pointing toward a matter by implication. The word’s sense arises from the idea of “playing upon” a subject in order to evoke it indirectly. The etymology lies in ad- “toward” and ludere “to play,” literalizing the notion of playing with a topic to suggest it.

Alludere is a third-conjugation verb. Its principal parts are alludo, alludere, alludi, allusus. As a regular third-conjugation verb, it forms standard active endings and its passive forms follow the normal patterns of the conjugation. In use, alludere is typically followed by a construction such as ad + accusative to indicate the referent to which one is alluding (for example, alludere ad rem). The sense is experiential and contextual, signaling a reference that is not explicit.

In practice, alludere is often employed in literary and rhetorical Latin to suggest something without naming it, or to direct a listener’s or reader’s attention to a prior matter or common knowledge. It is not a forceful or explicit assertion but a hint or insinuation.

Cognates in other languages include the English allude, which derives directly from Latin alludere; related forms exist in other Romance languages with similar meanings, such as French alluder. The term continues to appear in discussions of Latin diction and in analyses of classical rhetoric.