Obs. Forms: 4–5 aleye, alleie, alay. [a. OFr. aleie-r, alaier, alleyer to declare on oath:—L. allēgā-re, adlēgā-re, to send to or for, cite, adduce, produce in evidence, f. ad to + lēgāre to depute, send. The popular OFr. aleyer was superseded at an early date by a(l)léguer, a forensic adaptation of the L. original, and in Eng. allege has similarly replaced allay.] To cite, adduce, allege.
1356. Wyclif, Last Age of Ch., 32. He aleyeþ Gregor seiynge þus. Ibid. (c. 1380), Prelates, vii. (1879), 70. Sathanas … aleid holy writt to crist.
1387. Trevisa, Higden, Rolls Ser. VI. 371. Rollo … alleyeþ þe manere and usage of his contray.
1393. Gower, Conf., II. 66. She him preide, And many another cause alleide, That he with her at home abide.
1470. Harding, Chron., cxvii. Kyng Knowt to him alayde These wordes there, & thus to hym he sayde.
