ALLOW'ANCE, noun 1. The act of allowing or admitting. 2. Permission; license; approbation; sanction; usually slight approbation. 3. Admission; assent to a fact or state of things; a granting. 4. Freedom from restraint; indulgence. 5. That which is allowed; a portion appointed; a stated quantity, as of food or drink; hence, in seamen's language, a limited quantity of meat and drink, when provisions fall short. 6. Abatement; deduction; as, to make an allowance for the inexperience of youth. 7. Established character; reputation; as, a pilot of approved allowance obsolete ALLOW'ANCE, verb transitive To put upon allowance; to restrain or limit to a certain quantity of provisions or drink. Distress compelled the captain of the ship to allowance his crew.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI