English
allow
Allow comes from Middle English allowen, from Anglo-Norman allouer, from Medieval Latin allaudō ‘to praise’ merged with allocō ‘to assign’.
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400allouer1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500allowen1
- Englishearliest quotation 1611allow1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English allow
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds…”.
Lineage
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400allouerWiktionary, English allow
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500allowenWiktionary, English allow
- Englishearliest quotation 1611allowWiktionary, English allow. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds…”
The story
The similarity with Middle English alyfen (from Old English ālīefan) and German erlauben, both from Proto-Germanic *uzlaubijaną (‘to allow’) is unrelated.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *stel- ‘to put, to place’
stole, install, stool, apostle, stall, stalk, stale, epistle, stele, apostolate, stela, stolid, stell, 25 more
through Old Latin stlocus
locality, milieu, locale, 9 more
through Latin locus ‘place’
local, location, lieu, locus, loco, locative, 12 more
through Latin locō
locate, locator, collocation, 7 more
through Latin allocō ‘to allocate’
Today it means
verb To let one have as a suitable share of something.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “allow”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Anglo-Norman allouer / allow