Allusion
/əˈluː.ʒən/noun
An indirect reference to a person, event, or thing.
Did you know?Allusion comes from Latin *alludere*, meaning “to play at” or “to jest at,” so the word began as a kind of verbal teasing before it became a literary technique.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
alludere
“to play at, mock, jest at”
Late Latin
Latin
allusio
“a playing upon words or ideas, a hint”
Old French
Old French
allusion
“a jest, a hint, a reference”
16th Century
English
allusion
“an indirect or playful reference”
Modern English
English
allusion
“an indirect reference to something”