What does allotment mean?
An allotment is a defined share or portion of something—land, money, time, or goods—that has been set aside or distributed to a particular person, group, or purpose. The word appears frequently in administrative and financial language: companies announce allotments of shares, governments make budgetary allotments, and soldiers may direct part of their pay as an allotment to family members. In Britain, however, the word has a beloved second life: an allotment is also a small plot of land, usually rented cheaply from a local council, on which individuals grow vegetables, fruit, and flowers. These gardens trace their roots to nineteenth-century efforts to give working people access to fresh food and remain popular today, with waiting lists in many towns. The term carries connotations of fair division and, in its British gardening sense, of community, self-sufficiency, and quiet industry. Whether describing a slice of a budget or a strip of cultivated earth, allotment captures the idea of a portion deliberately assigned.
nounAn allotment is a share or portion of something, such as land, money, or time, that has been allocated to a person, group, or purpose. In British usage it also specifically refers to a small plot of rented land used for growing vegetables and fruit.
- A portion or share of something — such as land, money, time, or goods — assigned to a particular person, group, or purpose.
- (Chiefly British) A small plot of land rented from a local authority or private landlord for growing vegetables, fruit, and flowers.
- (US, historical/administrative) An area of land formally allotted to an individual, notably Native Americans under federal allotment policies of the 19th century.
"Each department received its annual budget allotment in January."
"The charity received an allotment of five hundred tickets for the fundraising gala."
"She spends most Sunday mornings at her allotment, tending rows of beans and dahlias."
The plural 'allotments' is standard and commonly used, especially in British English when referring to multiple garden plots, or in financial contexts referring to several allocations.
"The council manages over two hundred allotments across the district."
In Britain, millions of people tend 'allotments' — small rented plots of land — a tradition dating back to Victorian times when land was set aside so the poor could grow their own food.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of allotment
Allotment derives from the verb 'allot', which entered English in the late Middle Ages from Old French 'alloter' ('to divide into lots'), itself rooted in Germanic words for 'lot' — the practice of dividing things by casting lots being ancient. The noun 'allotment' became established in English by the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, first denoting a share apportioned by lot or decision. Its sibling terms include 'allocate' (from Latin roots) and the simple noun 'lot', all expressing the same underlying idea of a divided portion.
Related word forms
How allotment is actually used
In everyday British English, 'allotment' strongly evokes the gardening plot sense, and the word carries a wholesome, community-minded connotation. In American English, the word is more often encountered in administrative, financial, or military contexts (e.g. pay allotments), where it sounds formal and bureaucratic. The plural 'allotments' is standard when referring to multiple plots or shares.
Easily confused with allotment
Allocation is the broader act or process of distributing resources for a purpose, while an allotment is the specific share or portion that results from that distribution.
An allowance is a regular sum of money given to someone (often periodically), whereas an allotment is any designated portion of resources such as land, funds, or time.