Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Allowance

Al-low′ance

,
Noun.
[OF.
alouance
.]
1.
Approval; approbation.
[Obs.]
Crabbe.
2.
The act of allowing, granting, conceding, or admitting; authorization; permission; sanction; tolerance.
Without the king’s will or the state's
allowance
.
Shakespeare
3.
Acknowledgment.
The censure of the which one must in your
allowance
o'erweigh a whole theater of others.
Shakespeare
4.
License; indulgence.
[Obs.]
Locke.
5.
That which is allowed; a share or portion allotted or granted; a sum granted as a reimbursement, a bounty, or as appropriate for any purpose; a stated quantity, as of food or drink; hence, a limited quantity of meat and drink, when provisions fall short.
I can give the boy a handsome
allowance
.
Thackeray.
6.
Abatement; deduction; the taking into account of mitigating circumstances;
as, to make
allowance
for the inexperience of youth
.
After making the largest
allowance
for fraud.
Macaulay.
7.
(com.)
A customary deduction from the gross weight of goods, different in different countries, such as tare and tret.

Al-low′ance

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Allowancing
.]
[See
Allowance
,
Noun.
]
To put upon a fixed allowance (esp. of provisions and drink); to supply in a fixed and limited quantity;
as, the captain was obliged to
allowance
his crew; our provisions were
allowanced
.

Webster 1828 Edition


Allowance

ALLOW'ANCE

,
Noun.
1.
The act of allowing or admitting.
2.
Permission; license; approbation; sanction; usually slight approbation.
3.
Admission; assent to a fact or state of things; a granting.
4.
Freedom from restraint; indulgence.
5.
That which is allowed; a portion appointed; a stated quantity, as of food or drink; hence, in seamen's language, a limited quantity of meat and drink, when provisions fall short.
6.
Abatement; deduction; as, to make an allowance for the inexperience of youth.
7.
Established character; reputation; as, a pilot of approved allowance. Obs.

ALLOW'ANCE

,
Verb.
T.
To put upon allowance; to restrain or limit to a certain quantity of provisions or drink.
Distress compelled the captain of the ship to allowance his crew.