An allotment is a fixed share or portion of something—often land or resources—set aside for a particular purpose. It can also refer to the act of allocating or distributing portions. In everyday use, it denotes a designated quantity allotted to someone, sometimes with a sense of constraint or limit.
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"The city allocated an allotment of funds for road repairs this year."
"Farmers received an allotment of land to grow vegetables for the community."
"She managed her food budget within a strict monthly allotment."
"The gardener was careful to keep within the allotted allotment of water."
Allotment comes from the phrase at law 'allot' from Old French alloter, based on a Germanic root *adlaut, later Norman influence, and Latin 'allotare' meaning 'to assign by lot' (to distribute by lot). The term entered English in the early modern period as a legal and administrative notion, evolving from 'to attribute, assign, or share out' by lot or portion. Historically, allotment merged with agricultural and property contexts—land allotments, garden plots, and resource distribution. Over time, its sense expanded from a formal act of distribution by lottery or decree to more general usage describing any reserved share or fixed portion. First recorded uses appear in legal and colonial records where land or funds were allotted to individuals, communities, or purposes, and the term cemented into common usage by the 18th and 19th centuries as bureaucratic language shifted toward standardized, measurable shares.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "allotment" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "allotment" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "allotment"
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Pronounce it as two primary syllables with a slight secondary stress on the second? Not quite. It’s three syllables: /əˈlɒt.mənt/ in UK English and /əˈlɑːt.mənt/ in US English. The first syllable is schwa, the second is the stressed 'lot,' followed by a schwa and a final 'nt' consonant cluster. Think: uh-LAHT-ment, with the emphasis on LAWT as a strong syllable, and keep the final vowel reduced. Audio references: Cambridge/Oxford pronunciations align with these IPA cues.
Common errors: (1) Stress on the second syllable, yielding a-LOW-tment; (2) Eliding the middle 't' or pronouncing it as 'alayt-ment'; (3) Mispronouncing the final 'ment' as a separate syllable with a full vowel. Correction: keep the middle as a clear 't' sound and reduce the final vowel to a schwa before the 'nt' ending: /əˈlɒt.mənt/ (UK) or /əˈlɑːt.mənt/ (US).
In US English, the second syllable uses a broad 'lot' with a longer vowel /ˈlɑː/; in UK English, the vowel is slightly shorter and more open as /ˈɒt/; Australian often mirrors UK but with a slightly broader vowel quality and a non-rhotic tendency; all three share the /mt/ ending which is typically unreleased. Overall rhythm remains iambic-ish with primary stress on the second syllable.
The difficulty lies in the three-syllable structure with stress on the second syllable and the vowel change between /ɒ/ or /ɑː/ in the second syllable depending on accent. The final consonant cluster /nt/ often yields an unreleased 't' and a subtle vowel reduction in rapid speech. Mastering the schwa in the first syllable and maintaining crisp /t/ before /m/ helps clarity.
Focus on the transition from the stressed /ˈlɒt/ or /ˈlɑːt/ to the unstressed /mənt/. The key is crisp /t/ release followed by a schwa before the nasal /nt/ closure; many speakers link or reduce the middle vowel. Visualize: uh-LAHT-muhnt, with the middle consonant clearly pronounced and the final 'nt' as a subtle nasal-plus-voiceless stop.
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