What does allocable mean?
Allocable is a formal adjective meaning capable of being allocated — that is, assigned or distributed to a particular person, department, project, or purpose. It appears most often in accounting, taxation, and legal writing, where precision about who bears which cost matters. An expense described as allocable to a division, for example, can legitimately be charged against that division's budget or reported in its accounts; an allocable share is the portion properly attributable to one party among several. The word derives from Latin locare, 'to place', via the verb allocate, and shares that root with familiar terms like local and location — fittingly, since allocating is essentially deciding where something belongs. Though uncommon in everyday speech, it is a useful term whenever costs, funds, or responsibilities must be divided fairly and defensibly among competing claims.
adjectiveCapable of being allocated, assigned, or distributed to a particular person, purpose, or account.
- Able to be allocated or apportioned to a particular recipient, project, department, or purpose, especially in accounting and taxation contexts.
- Legally chargeable or assignable to a specific party under a contract or statute.
"Only a portion of the company's overhead costs was allocable to the new product line."
"The auditor determined which overhead expenses were allocable to each division."
"Under the tax rules, only costs directly allocable to the research activity may be claimed as a credit."
Hidden inside 'allocable' is the same Latin root that gives us 'location' — both trace back to 'locare', to place, making an allocable cost literally one that can be 'placed' somewhere on the books.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of allocable
Allocable derives from the Latin verb allocare, formed from ad- ('to, toward') plus locare ('to place'), the same root that produced English 'local', 'locate', and 'location'. English took 'allocate' from medieval Latin usage, and 'allocable' was formed from it with the adjectival suffix '-able', following the common pattern seen in pairs like 'assign/assignable'. It entered use primarily through accounting, legal, and governmental contexts, where the need to describe costs that could be apportioned made such a term necessary.
Related word forms
How allocable is actually used
Formal register; found chiefly in accounting, tax, legal, and government-budgeting prose. Rare in everyday conversation, where speakers prefer simpler wording such as 'can be assigned'.
Easily confused with allocable
'Allocate' is the verb meaning to set aside for a purpose, while 'allocable' is the adjective describing something that can be so assigned.
'Applicable' means relevant or able to be applied to a situation, whereas 'allocable' specifically concerns assignment or apportionment of resources.