Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Allocation has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
a share set aside for a specific purpose
"The new budget approved an allocation of funds specifically for upgrading the school's computer lab."
the act of distributing by allotting or apportioning; distribution according to a plan
"the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives is based on the relative population of each state"
(computer science) the assignment of particular areas of a magnetic disk to particular data or instructions
"The system administrator adjusted the disk allocation to ensure critical databases had enough space on the magnetic drive."
The process or procedure for allocating things, especially money or other resources.
"The city council debated the allocation of funds for repairing the damaged bridges before approving the budget."
In plain English: Allocation is the act of deciding who gets to use a limited resource or how much of it each person receives.
"The school received a large allocation of funds to repair the old library roof."
Usage: Use allocation to refer to the specific act of distributing limited resources, such as funds or time, among different needs or groups. It describes the decision-making process of assigning portions rather than the items themselves.
The word allocation comes from the Middle French allocacion and earlier Medieval Latin allocātiō. It entered English through a straightforward combination of the verb "allocate" and the suffix "-ion."