allowable

English

Etymology

From Middle English allowable, alowable, a borrowing from Old French alouable (Modern French allouable), from allouer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈlaʊ.əbəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

allowable (comparative more allowable, superlative most allowable)

1. Appropriate; satisfactory; acceptable.
2. Intellectually admissible; valid; probable.
3. Able to be added or deducted in consideration of something.
4. Permissible; tolerable; legitimate.
   • 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC:

     And first, although there were more things in nature then words which did expresse them, yet even in these mute and silent discourses, to expresse complexed significations, they took a liberty to compound and piece together creatures of allowable formes unto mixtures inexistent […]

5. (obsolete) Praiseworthy.

Synonyms

• (permissible): leveful

Derived terms

• allowableness
• allowably
• nonallowable
• unallowable

 

Noun

allowable (plural allowables)

1. A permitted amount or activity.