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al·lo·cate (ălə-kāt′)
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tr.v. al·lo·cat·ed, al·lo·cat·ing, al·lo·cates
1. To set apart for a special purpose; designate: allocate a room to be used for storage.
2. To distribute according to a plan; allot: allocate rations for a week-long camping trip.
[Medieval Latin allocāre, allocāt- : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin locāre, to place (from locus, place).]
al′lo·cata·ble adj.
al′lo·cation n.
allo·ca·tor n.
Synonyms: allocate, appropriate, assign, designate, earmark
These verbs mean to reserve or select for a specified purpose: allocated time for recreation; appropriated funds for public education; assigned the new computers to the science lab; designated a location for the new hospital; money that was earmarked for a vacation.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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