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Where does the word "allocate" come from? It comes from Medieval Latin allocare, and was adopted directly into English (1630s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "allocate" come from? It comes from Medieval Latin allocare, and was adopted directly into English (1630s).
Allocate’s story begins in Medieval Latin: allocare meant “to place.” 'ad-' plus 'locare', to place, from 'locus'. It reached English by 1630s as allocate. 'allow' shares part of its history with this word. Today, allocate means to distribute for a purpose.
- Stage 1 · Medieval Latin · medieval allocare "to place", 'ad-' plus 'locare', to place, from 'locus'.
- Stage 2 · English · 1630s allocate "to assign", 'allow' shares part of its history with this word.