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al·low·ance (ə-louəns)
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n.
1. The act of allowing.
2. An amount that is allowed or granted: consumed my weekly allowance of two eggs.
3. Something, such as money, given at regular intervals or for a specific purpose: a travel allowance that covers hotel bills.
4. A small amount of money regularly given to a child, often as payment for household chores.
5. A price reduction, especially one granted in exchange for used merchandise: The dealer gave us an allowance on our old car.
tr.v. al·low·anced, al·low·anc·ing, al·low·anc·es
1. To put on a fixed allowance: cut expenses by strictly allowancing the sales representatives.
2. To dispense in fixed quantities; ration.
Idiom:
make allowance/allowances for
1. To take into consideration when planning something.
2. To make excuses for or treat with leniency.
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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