apportionment

American  

[uh-pawr-shuhn-muhnt, uh-pohr-] / əˈpɔr ʃən mənt, əˈpoʊr- /

noun

1. the act of apportioning.

2. the determination of the number of members of the U.S. House of Representatives according to the proportion of the population of each state to the total population of the U.S.

3. the apportioning of members of any other legislative body.

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apportionment British  

/ əˈpɔːʃənmənt /

noun

1. the act of apportioning

2. government the proportional distribution of the seats in a legislative body, esp the House of Representatives, on the basis of population

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apportionment Cultural  

1. The allocation of seats in a legislature or of taxes according to a plan. In the United States Congress, for example, the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives is based on the relative population of each state, whereas the apportionment in the Senate is based on equal representation for every state. (See also gerrymander.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonapportionment
  noun
• proapportionment
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of apportionment

First recorded in 1620–30; apportion + -ment

Explanation

Apportionment is deciding how to divide things up and distribute them. While the apportionment of the candy from a piñata can be chaotic, milk apportionment in a school cafeteria is much more orderly. The apportionment of tax dollars may be contentious in your town if some people object to the amount of spending that goes to the yearly fireworks display. This controversy may result in the apportionment of blame on a few specific city council members. Apportionment is also used for the number of congressional representatives each state gets, based on population: "Maine might lose a seat in the House of Representatives during the next apportionment."

Example Sentences

In 1929, however, Congress passed the Permanent Apportionment Act, which limits the size of the House to 435 members.

From Washington Times • Oct. 25, 2022

Apportionment data, released in April, determines the number of House representatives each state gets in the coming decade.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 5, 2021

However, since the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929, the total number of representatives in Congress has been fixed at 435.

From Textbooks • Jul. 28, 2021

Apportionment numbers have faced legal challenges in the past, though none have succeeded.

From Washington Post • Apr. 27, 2021

A Final Account to be given of the Apportionment of our Time.

From A Treatise on Domestic Economy For the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School by Beecher, Catharine Esther