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allusion - 6 dictionary results
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al⋅lu⋅sion

  [uh-loo-zhuhn]
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–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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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al·lu·sion   (ə-lōō'zhən)   
n.  
  1. The act of alluding; indirect reference: Without naming names, the candidate criticized the national leaders by allusion.
  2. 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.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : allusion
Spanish: alusión,
German: die Anspielung,
Japanese: 言及
More Translations »

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.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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allusion

in literature, an implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or thing or to a part of another text. Allusion is distinguished from such devices as direct quote and imitation or parody. Most allusions are based on the assumption that there is a body of knowledge that is shared by the author and the reader and that therefore the reader will understand the author's referent. Allusions to biblical figures and figures from classical mythology are common in Western literature for this reason. However, some authors, such as T.S. Eliot and James Joyce, deliberately use obscure and complex allusions that they know few people would understand. Similarly, an allusion can be used as a straightforward device to enhance the text by providing further meaning, but it can also be used in a more complex sense to make an ironic comment on one thing by comparing it to something that is dissimilar. The word is from the late Latin allusio meaning "a play on words" or "game" and is a derivative of the Latin word alludere, meaning "to play around" or "to refer to mockingly."

Learn more about allusion with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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