apportion
UK /əˈpɔːʃən/ · US /əˈpɔɹʃən/ verb
Forms apportions apportioning apportioned
- verb (transitive) To divide and distribute portions of a whole. “The controlling party had apportioned the voting districts such that their party would be favored in the next election.”
- verb (transitive) Specifically, to do so in a fair and equitable manner; to allocate proportionally. “The children were required to dump all of their Halloween candy on the table so that their parents could apportion it among them.”
Synonyms
allocate allot dispense parcel out share out share divvy up portion out deal
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle French apportionner, from Old French aporcioner, from Late Latin apportionare, from Latin ad + portio. By surface analysis, ap- + portion.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To divide and assign in just proportion; to divide and distribute proportionally; to portion out; to allot; as, to apportion undivided rights; to apportion time among various employments.
Etymology [OF. apportionner, LL. apportionare, fr. L. ad + portio. See Portion.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “apportion”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details