Allotment

əˈlɒt.mənt

nounIntermediateCommonGeneral

Definitions

1

A portion or share of something that is allocated or assigned to a person or group.

əˈlɒt.mənt

nounneutralIntermediate
General

A share or amount assigned or given to each person

She received an allotment of land to cultivate.

💡 Simply: A share or assigned portion of something.

More Examples

2

The government provides an allotment of funds for social services.

How It's Used

Agriculture

"Many communities have plots of land called allotments where people can grow their own vegetables."

Workplace

"The company decided to give workers an allotment of 10 days off per year."

Idioms & expressions

allot one's time

To assign or dedicate a particular amount of time to a specific activity

"He needs to allot his time between work and family."

common allotment garden

A community garden where individuals or families are given plots of land for growing vegetables and flowers

"The community hosted a workshop for common allotment gardeners."

Derived from the Middle English 'allotment', itself borrowed from the Old French 'allouement', meaning 'allowance, portion', ultimately from Latin 'allōtus', past participle of 'allōtire' meaning to assign a share to.

Historically, the concept of allotment gardens traces back to mid-nineteenth century Britain where such gardens were provided to the working class to grow their own food.

Memory tip

Think of it as a part or share allotted to you, like a piece of land allocated for gardening.

alotmentallementallomnent

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written