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definitions

allot

[ uh-lot ]
/ əˈlɒt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR allot ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), al·lot·ted, al·lot·ting.

to divide or distribute by share or portion; distribute or parcel out; apportion: to allot the available farmland among the settlers.
to appropriate for a special purpose: to allot money for a park.
to assign as a portion; set apart; dedicate.

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RELATED WORDS

appoint, earmark, apportion, distribute, appropriate, allocate, assign, designate, admeasure, cut, share, slice, budget, dole, mete, divvy

Nearby words

  1. allosaurus,
  2. allosome,
  3. allosteric,
  4. allosteric site,
  5. allosterism,
  6. allotment,
  7. allotransplant,
  8. allotransplantation,
  9. allotrichia circumscripta,
  10. allotriomorphic

Origin of allot

1425–75; earlier alot, late Middle English alotten < Middle French aloter, equivalent to a- a-5 + lot lot (< Germanic) + -er infinitive suffix
Related forms
Can be confuseda lot allot

Synonym study

1. See assign.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for allot

British Dictionary definitions for allot

allot

/ (əˈlɒt) /

verb -lots, -lotting or -lotted (tr)

to assign or distribute (shares, etc)
to designate for a particular purposemoney was allotted to cover expenses
(foll by to) apportionwe allotted two hours to the case

Word Origin for allot

C16: from Old French aloter, from lot portion, lot
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for allot

allot

v.

late 15c., from Old French aloter (Modern French allotir) "to divide by lots, to divide into lots," from à "to" (see ad-) + loter "lot," a word of Germanic origin (cf. Gothic hlauts, Old High German hloz, Old English hlot; see lot). Related: Allotted; allotting.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper