lud-, ludi-, lus-
(Latin: play, make sport of, jest; sportive; pastime)
allude (verb), alludes; alluded; alluding
1. To play with, to joke or to jest at, dally with, to touch lightly upon a subject.
2. To refer (a thing) fancifully or figuratively, to compare symbolically, to (something else): "Kirk told Cathy that he was interested in hearing more about the technology that she alluded to in her presentation."
3. To have an oblique, covert, or indirect reference, to point as it were in passing.
4. To make an indirect or passing reference, to glance at, refer indirectly to: "He was alluding to his first wife."
5. The OED says that allude is often used ignorantly as if it were equal to "refer" in its general sense.
6. Etymology: from Middle French alluder; from Latin alludere, "to joke, to jest"; from ad-, "to" and ludere, "to play". Originally "to mock", later, "to make a fanciful reference to"
2. To refer (a thing) fancifully or figuratively, to compare symbolically, to (something else): "Kirk told Cathy that he was interested in hearing more about the technology that she alluded to in her presentation."
3. To have an oblique, covert, or indirect reference, to point as it were in passing.
4. To make an indirect or passing reference, to glance at, refer indirectly to: "He was alluding to his first wife."
5. The OED says that allude is often used ignorantly as if it were equal to "refer" in its general sense.
6. Etymology: from Middle French alluder; from Latin alludere, "to joke, to jest"; from ad-, "to" and ludere, "to play". Originally "to mock", later, "to make a fanciful reference to"
allude, delude, deluge, deluge, elude, illude, refer
allude (uh LOOD) (verb)
To refer to indirectly without specific identification or details, to mention, to refer to: "During the conversation, Wesley tried to allude to his childhood on the farm."
"The candidate was heard to allude to the recent war by saying, 'We’ve all made sacrifices'."
delude (di LOOD) (verb)
1. To cause someone to believe something that is not true: "Agnes said, if Pedro thinks I care, then he will simply delude himself."
2. To deceive the mind or judgment of: "Much of the spam on the internet is done to delude people with some scheme or trickery."
2. To deceive the mind or judgment of: "Much of the spam on the internet is done to delude people with some scheme or trickery."
deluge (DEL yooj) (noun)
A great quantity of something, inundated; submerged: "The deluge of rain caused severe mudslides."
deluge (DEL yooj) (verb)
To give or to send someone a large amount of things at the same time: "The rain storm will deluge the parking lot very soon."
elude (i LOOD) (verb)
1. To avoid, escape from, evade as by daring, cleverness, or skill: "The burglar found a way to elude the police by hiding in a dumpster."
"Even later, the suspect continued to elude the police because they couldn't locate him."
2. To escape the understanding or grasp of: "This is a name that has always eluded Gorden and it continues to elude him.""The true meaning of this word will continue to elude Rick unless he can find a dictionary."
illude (il LOOD) (verb)
To deceive; to mock; to excite and to disappoint the hopes of: "Any increase in salary will simply illude the staff in this time of economic slowdown."
refer (ri FUHR) (verb)
1. To direct to a source for help or information: "After completing the forms, Beth was able to refer Dustin to the personnel director."
2. To assign or to attribute to; make reference to: "The teacher wanted the class to refer to the history book so he could verify his point."
3. To turn, to go; to consult: "Refer to the last page of the book for answers."
2. To assign or to attribute to; make reference to: "The teacher wanted the class to refer to the history book so he could verify his point."
3. To turn, to go; to consult: "Refer to the last page of the book for answers."
To refer to someone or something is to mention something directly with specific identifications.
James wants to refer Greg to the headlines that allude to the deluge and devastation caused by the flood waters.
Many survivors strived to elude the dangers by climbing to the top of their barns; however, this was just an effort to delude themselves into believing they were safe.
The reality of the situation served to illude them until the rescue boats finally arrived.
alluded (adjective)
Indirectly referred to, hinted at, or meant: "She wasn't pleased with the alluded remark regarding her children."
alluding (s) (noun)
The process of hinting at: "Alluding the police was one of his specialties."
"Alluding the photographers, whenever she could, was one of her daily objectives."
1. An indication of something; a mention of, a hint, a suggestion: "When anyone makes an allusion to a person or thing, he or she is making a brief mention about it, but is not providing any details."
3. A covert, implied, or indirect reference; a passing or incidental reference: "The main thing to remember is that an allusion is a brief hint or a quick mention of something which the readers or listeners are expected to have some knowledge about."
4. Etymology: from Latin allusionem, allusio, "a playing with, a reference to"; from allus-, a stem of alludere.
"An allusion is never an outright or explicit mention of a person or anything that the speaker seems to have in mind."
2. A play upon words, a word-play, a pun (now considered obsolete).3. A covert, implied, or indirect reference; a passing or incidental reference: "The main thing to remember is that an allusion is a brief hint or a quick mention of something which the readers or listeners are expected to have some knowledge about."
4. Etymology: from Latin allusionem, allusio, "a playing with, a reference to"; from allus-, a stem of alludere.
allusion, delusion, elusion, illusion
allusion (uh LOO zhuhn) (noun)
1. An indirect reference to something; a hint: "This book about American history makes a brief allusion to the ancient Greek idea of democracy."
2. A statement that refers to something without mentioning it directly; an implied or indirect reference: "Heidi made an allusion to her first marriage, but she said nothing more revealing about it."
2. A statement that refers to something without mentioning it directly; an implied or indirect reference: "Heidi made an allusion to her first marriage, but she said nothing more revealing about it."
"An allusion is never an outright or explicit mention of the person or thing the speaker seems to have in mind."
delusion (di LOO zhuhn) (noun)
1. A false idea, belief, or opinion that is contrary to fact or reality, resulting from deception or a misconception: "Alvin labored under the delusion that he would be successful in the new job."
2. A false belief strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence; especially, as a mental disorder: "Zachary had a delusion that all women hated him."
2. A false belief strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence; especially, as a mental disorder: "Zachary had a delusion that all women hated him."
"Tanya had the delusion of being extraordinarily beautiful."
"Oscar had a delusion that he was a young boy riding his tricycle as he was balanced on his head."
"Technically, a delusion is a belief that, though false, it has been surrendered to and accepted by the whole mind as being the truth."
elusion (i LOO zhuhn) (noun)
Evasion, escape by deception: "The embezzlers celebrated their elusion of the police a little too soon because they were caught."
illusion (i LOO zhuhn) (noun)
1. A deception; a false, although often pleasant, notion; a misconception: "A person's illusion of youth fades with maturity."
2. A misleading visual impression; hallucination: "Mirrors give an illusion of more space in a room."
3. A deceptive appearance; anything that seems to be something else or something that seems to exist but actually does not: "Troy had the illusion that a woman was floating above his bed."
2. A misleading visual impression; hallucination: "Mirrors give an illusion of more space in a room."
3. A deceptive appearance; anything that seems to be something else or something that seems to exist but actually does not: "Troy had the illusion that a woman was floating above his bed."
The investigators were under the delusion that the illusion of safety for the workers was based on an allusion to a report circulated to the supervisors; however, they were dishonest and planned an elusion to avoid responsibility.
allusive (adjective)
1. Playing upon a word, punning.
2. Symbolical, metaphorical, figurative.
3. Containing an allusion; having, or abounding, with indirect references.
2. Symbolical, metaphorical, figurative.
3. Containing an allusion; having, or abounding, with indirect references.
allusively (adverb)
1. In an allusive (hint) manner.
2. In a manner characterized by an allusion (indirect reference).
2. In a manner characterized by an allusion (indirect reference).
collude (verb), colludes; colluded; colluding
1. To act together secretly to achieve a fraudulent or deceitful purpose; to connive.
2. To act in secret concert with, chiefly in order to trick or baffle some third person or party.
3. To play into one another's hands; to conspire, to plot, to connive; and to play falsely.
4. To act in unison, or agreement, and in secret towards a deceitful or illegal purpose.
2. To act in secret concert with, chiefly in order to trick or baffle some third person or party.
3. To play into one another's hands; to conspire, to plot, to connive; and to play falsely.
4. To act in unison, or agreement, and in secret towards a deceitful or illegal purpose.
1. Literally, a playing together, or into each other's hands.
2. A secret agreement or understanding for purposes of trickery or fraud; underhanded scheming or working with another; deceit, fraud, trickery.
3. Etymology: from Old French collusion; from Latin collusionem, "act of colluding"; from colludere, from com-, "together" + ludere, "to play"; from ludus "game".
2. A secret agreement or understanding for purposes of trickery or fraud; underhanded scheming or working with another; deceit, fraud, trickery.
3. Etymology: from Old French collusion; from Latin collusionem, "act of colluding"; from colludere, from com-, "together" + ludere, "to play"; from ludus "game".
collusive (adjective)
1. Acting together in secret toward a fraudulent or illegal end.
2. Secretly cooperating, or involving secret cooperation, in order to do something illegal or underhanded.
2. Secretly cooperating, or involving secret cooperation, in order to do something illegal or underhanded.
collusively (adverb)
Characterized by a secret agreement between two or more parties for a fraudulent, illegal, or deceitful purpose.
collusiveness (s) (noun)
delude (verb), deludes; deluded; deluding
1. To disappoint or deprive of by fraud or deceit; to defraud of.
2. To befool the mind or judgment of, so as to cause what is false to be accepted as true.
3. To bring by deceit into a false opinion or belief; to cheat, to deceive, to beguile; to impose upon with false impressions or notions.
4. Etymology: from Latin deludere, "to mock, to deceive"; from de-, "down, to one's detriment" + ludere, "to play".
2. To befool the mind or judgment of, so as to cause what is false to be accepted as true.
3. To bring by deceit into a false opinion or belief; to cheat, to deceive, to beguile; to impose upon with false impressions or notions.
4. Etymology: from Latin deludere, "to mock, to deceive"; from de-, "down, to one's detriment" + ludere, "to play".
Someone who deceives or imposes false impressions or ideas.
