Origin: Latin suffix -able
Allowable has 5 different meanings across 1 category:
permitted amount or activity.
"The allowable limit for daily sugar intake varies depending on your age and health status."
In plain English: An allowable is something that rules say you are permitted to do or have.
"The allowable represents the maximum amount permitted by law in this specific case."
deductible according to the tax laws
"The business expenses listed on his return were all allowable deductions under current tax laws."
that may be permitted especially as according to rule
"permissible behavior in school"
"a permissible tax deduction"
deserving to be allowed or considered
"The committee deemed his request allowable because he had provided all the necessary documentation."
Appropriate; satisfactory; acceptable.
"The judge ruled that the defendant's confession was allowable evidence since it was obtained without coercion."
In plain English: Allowable means something is permitted to happen according to the rules.
"The rules state that any allowable amount of sugar must be listed on the label."
The word allowable comes from the Old French verb allouer, which combines the root for "to allow" with a suffix meaning "capable of." It entered English through Middle French as an adjective describing something permitted or sanctioned by authority.