allusion

al·lu·sion

noun \ə-ˈlü-zhən\

Definition of ALLUSION

1

: an implied or indirect reference especially in literature; also : the use of such references

2

: the act of making an indirect reference to something : the act of alluding to something

— al·lu·sive \-ˈlü-siv, -ziv\ adjective

— al·lu·sive·ly adverb

— al·lu·sive·ness noun

Examples of ALLUSION

1. The lyrics contain biblical allusions.
2. She made allusion to her first marriage.
3. There are lots of literary echoes and allusions in the novel, but they don't do anything for the tired texture of the prose. —Tony Tanner, New York Times Book Review, 6 Apr. 1997
4. So while the former engineering professor with an IQ reportedly tipping 180 enjoys bombarding his staff with math wizardry, scientific jargon and computerese, he also drops frequent allusions to his baseball card and stamp collections … —Maureen Dowd, New York Times Magazine, 16 Sept. 1990
5. To my ear this is a beautiful reenactment of the prose of the antebellum South, with its careful grammar, its stately cadences, and its classical allusions and quotations. —Cleanth Brooks, The Language of the American South, 1985

Origin of ALLUSION

Late Latin allusion-, allusio, from Latin alludere (see allude)

First Known Use: 1548

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

Rhymes with ALLUSION

affusion, Carthusian, collusion, conclusion, confusion, contusion, delusion, diffusion, effusion, elusion, exclusion, extrusion, illusion, inclusion, infusion, intrusion, Malthusian, obtrusion, occlusion, perfusion, prelusion, profusion, prolusion, protrusion, reclusion, seclusion, transfusion, Venusian