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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

al·lu·sion

Audio Help [uh-loo-zhuh

n] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	a passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication: an allusion to Shakespeare.

2.	the act of alluding.

3.	Obsolete. a metaphor; parable.

[Origin: 1540–50; < LL allūsiōn- (s. of allūsiō), equiv. to allūs(us), ptp. of allūdere (see allude; al- al- + lūd- play + -tus ptp. suffix) + -iōn- -ion

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
allusion

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

al·lu·sion Audio Help (ə-lōō'zhən) Pronunciation Key
n.

The act of alluding; indirect reference: Without naming names, the candidate criticized the national leaders by allusion.
An instance of indirect reference: an allusion to classical mythology in a poem. See Usage Note at allude.

[Late Latin allūsiō, allūsiōn-, a playing with, from Latin allūsus, past participle of allūdere, to play with; see allude.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
allusion

1548, from L. allusionem (nom. allusio) "a playing with, a reference to," from allus-, stem of alludere (see allude). An allusion is never an outright or explicit mention of the person or thing the speaker seems to have in mind.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

allusion
noun
passing reference or indirect mention

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
alˈlusion [-ʒən] noun

(the act of making) a mention or reference
Example: The prime minister made no allusion to the war in his speech.

Arabic:	تَلْمِيح، إشارَة ضِمْنِيَّه
Chinese (Simplified):	提及
Chinese (Traditional):	提及
Czech:	narážka, zmínka
Danish:	hentydning
Dutch:	toespeling
Estonian:	vihje
Finnish:	viittaus
French:	allusion
German:	die Anspielung
Greek:	νύξη
Hungarian:	utalás
Icelandic:	lausleg eða óbein tilvitnun til
Indonesian:	menyinggung
Italian:	allusione

Japanese:	言及
Korean:	언급
Latvian:	atsaukšanās
Lithuanian:	aliuzija, užuomina
Norwegian:	hentydning, allusjon (i litteratur)
Polish:	aluzja
Portuguese (Brazil):	alusão
Portuguese (Portugal):	alusão
Romanian:	aluzie
Russian:	упоминание
Slovak:	narážka, zmienka
Slovenian:	namig
Spanish:	alusión
Swedish:	hänsyftning, allusion
Turkish:	değinme, ima

See also: allude

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
allusion

An indirect reference to some piece of knowledge not actually mentioned. Allusions usually come from a body of information that the author presumes the reader will know. For example, an author who writes, “She was another Helen,” is alluding to the proverbial beauty of Helen of Troy.

[Chapter:] Conventions of Written English

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Allusion

Al*lu"sion\, n. [L. allusio, fr. alludere to allude: cf. F. allusion.]

1. A figurative or symbolical reference. [Obs.]

2. A reference to something supposed to be known, but not explicitly mentioned; a covert indication; indirect reference; a hint.

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