[a. Fr. allotement, formerly al-, f. aloter: see ALLOT and -MENT.]
1. The action of allotting or assigning as a share; apportionment; appointment.
1574. in Heath, Grocers’ Comp. (1869), 11. That this and the other Companies should, after the rateable and proportionable allotment, provide their shares thereof.
1774. Bryant, Mythol., I. Pref. 6. Colonies went abroad without any regard to their original place of allotment.
1790. Cowper, Odyss., III. 10. To each they made Allotment equal of nine sable bulls.
1882. Globe, 24 July, 8/3. 10s. per share payable on Application; 10s. per share on Allotment.
b. A deed of allotment; an assigning document.
1772. Hist. Rochester, 95. The only allotment to be met with is to the dean and one prebendary.
2. The destiny allotted to any one; lot in life, fate.
1674. Govt. Tongue, x. § 6 (1684), 157. Our behavior towards God, whose allotments we dispute.
1754. Fielding, Jon. Wild, II. xii. Wks. 1784, IV. 195. No man is born into the world without his particular allotment.
1828. Carlyle, Misc. (1857), I. 122. The stinted allotments of earthly life are as a mockery to him.
3. A share or portion allotted to one.
1629. Coke, 1st Pt. Inst., 167 a. In this case euery one of them ought to stand to their chance and allotment.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., II. 83. The elder sons … migrate from their father with a certain allotment of cattle.
1850. Blackie, Æschylus, II. 27. He called his gods together, and assigned To each his fair allotment.
4. esp. A portion of land assigned to a special person, or appropriated to a particular purpose. spec. A small portion of land let out for cottage cultivation.
1674. Scheffer, Lapland, vi. 15. The Finlanders … have a certain division or allotment called Lappio.
1725. Broome, Notes to Pope’s Odyss., VII. 142. A vineyard, and an allotment for olives and herbs.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., II. 45. Large districts or parcels of land were … dealt out again in smaller parcels or allotments to the inferior officers.
1845. Penny Cycl., Supp. I. 88. The most convenient mode of giving [country labourers] gardens is to divide a field near the village into small allotments … The bishop of Bath and Wells commenced the letting of allotments in 1807, but it is only since 1830 that its adoption has become common.
† 5. Comm. The division of a ship’s cargo into equal portions, the particular portion falling to each purchaser being decided by lot; also in pl. Descriptions of the divided portions. Obs.
1703. Lond. Gaz., mmmdccclxxxii/4. Inventories of the Ships, and Allotments of the Goods may be seen at the said Hall. Ibid. (1705), mmmmcxxxv/3. Printed Copies of the Allotments of the said Goods.
1751. Chambers, Cycl., Allotment of goods, is when a ship’s cargo is divided into several parts, bought by divers persons, etc.
6. Comb. or Attrib., chiefly in sense 4: allotment system, the division of land into small plots to be held for cultivation by the poorer classes at a small rent; hence allotment-garden, -holder, etc.
1845. Penny Cycl. Supp., I. 90. The allotment system, when limited to the giving a labourer a small plot of garden-ground, presents many advantages.
1868. Peard, Water-farm., ii. 13. A piece of ground parcelled out under the allotment system.
1876. Fawcett, Pol. Econ., II. viii. 238. The granting of allotment-gardens would do much for the labourers.
