a poem, play, picture, etc, in which the apparent meaning of the characters and events is used to symbolize a deeper moral or spiritual meaning
2.
the technique or genre that this represents
3.
use of such symbolism to illustrate truth or a moral
4.
anything used as a symbol or emblem
[C14: from Old French allegorie, from Latin allēgoria, from Greek, from allēgorein to speak figuratively, from allos other + agoreuein to make a speech in public, from agora a public gathering]