allow
verbEtymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Latin laus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin laudō Latin allaudō Old French aloer ▲ Latin ad- Latin locus ▲ Latin -ō Latin locō Latin allocō Old French aloer Anglo-Norman alouerbor. Middle English allowen English allow From Middle English allowen, alowen, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman allouer, alouer, from Medieval Latin allaudāre, merged with alouer, from Medieval Latin allocō (“to assign”). Doublet of allaud (via allaudāre) or allocate (via allocāre). The similarity with Middle English alyfen (from Old English ālīefan) and German erlauben, both from Proto-Germanic *uzlaubijaną (“to allow”) is unrelated.
Definitions
To let one have as a suitable share of something.
- to allow a servant his liberty; to allow a free passage; to allow one day for rest
- […] he needed a great deal of money, but his uncle only allowed him two thousand roubles a year, which was not enough, and for days together he would run about Moscow with his tongue out, as the saying is.
To permit, to give permission to.
- I will allow my son to be absent.
To not bar or obstruct.
- Although I don't consent to their holding such meetings, I will allow them for the time being.
- Smoking (is) allowed only in designated areas.
›+ 9 more definitionsshow fewer
To acknowledge, accept the truth of
To acknowledge, accept the truth of; to concede; to accede to an opinion; to say something one agrees on in the context of a larger disagreement or reluctance.
- to allow a right; to allow a claim; to allow an appeal
- You must allow that disagreeing about politics puts a strain on a relationship.
- "Well, that rug does match the wallpaper," he allowed.
To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition
To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; especially to abate or deduct.
- to allow a sum for leakage
To make an allowance, to take into account when making plans.
- When calculating a budget for a construction project, always allow for contingencies.
To render physically possible.
- The inlet allowed a facility to bring the money in a boat secretly and at night to the very foot of the hill.
To praise
To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction.
- Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers
- We commend his pains, condemn his pride, allow his life, approve his learning.
To sanction
To sanction; to invest; to entrust.
To like
To like; to be suited or pleased with.
- How allow you the model of these clothes?
To decide (a request) in favour of the party who raised it
To decide (a request) in favour of the party who raised it; to grant victory to a party regarding (a request).
- to allow an objection
- to allow an appeal
To forgo bothering with, to let slide.
- Easy on violence, now I doubt it I could’ve banged this face but allowed it
The neighborhood
Vish — recursive loop
A definitional loop anchored at allow. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.
A definitional loop anchored at allow. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.
9 hops · closes at allow
curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA