Definition of ALLEGORIZE

allegorize

Meanings

Verb

  • interpret as an allegory
  • make into an allegory
    • "The story was allegorized over time"
  • To interpret (a picture, story, or other form of communication) to reveal a hidden, broader message about real-world issues and occurrences.
  • To create an allegory from (a character, an event or situation, etc.); also, to use one or more symbols to depict (a hidden, broader message about real-world issues and occurrences).
  • Followed by away: to treat (something) as allegorical or symbolic rather than as truth.
  • To interpret an allegory.
  • To create or use allegory.

Origin / Etymology

From Late Middle English allegoriese, allegorisen (“to interpret (something) in a spiritual sense”), from Anglo-Norman allegorizer and Middle French allegoriser, alegoriser (“to express or interpret allegorically”) (modern French allégoriser), and from their etymon Late Latin allēgorizāre, the present active infinitive of allēgorizō (“to express or interpret allegorically”), from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓λληγορῐ́ᾱ (ăllēgorĭ́ā, “veiled language, allegory”) + Late Latin -izō (suffix forming verbs expressing resemblance or similarity). Ἀ̆λληγορῐ́ᾱ (Ăllēgorĭ́ā) is probably derived from ἀλληγορος (allēgoros, “allegorical”) (though only attested in Byzantine Greek) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns); and ἀλληγορος (allēgoros) from ᾰ̓́λλος (ắllos, “another; different”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“beyond; other”)) + ἠγόρ- (ēgór-, the imperfect stem of ἀγορεύω (agoreúō, “to speak in the assembly; to say, speak”)) + -ος (-os, suffix forming certain inflections of adjectives). By surface analysis, allegory + -ize.

Synonyms

allegorise, allegory

Scrabble Score: 20

allegorize is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
allegorize is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
allegorize is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 23

allegorize is a valid Words With Friends word