allude

Where does the word "allude" come from? It comes from Latin alludere, and was adopted directly into English (1500s).

Allude’s story begins in Latin: alludere meant “to play with, to refer to indirectly.” To play with, to refer to indirectly, from ad- (to) and ludere (to play). It reached English by 1500s as allude. Settled as the English word for referring to something indirectly. Today, allude means to suggest or refer to something without mentioning it directly.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient alludere "to play with, to refer to indirectly", to play with, to refer to indirectly, from ad- (to) and ludere (to play).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1500s allude "to refer to something indirectly", settled as the English word for referring to something indirectly.