apportionment
|a-por-tion-ment|
🇺🇸
/əˈpɔrʃənmənt/
🇬🇧
/əˈpɔːʃənmənt/
(apportion)
divide proportionally
Etymology
'apportionment' originates from Middle English/Anglo-French, ultimately from Latin 'portio' (via Medieval Latin 'apportionare'), where 'portio' meant 'a share' and the prefix 'ad-' meant 'to' or 'toward'.
'apportionment' developed from the verb 'apportion', which came into English from Anglo-French/Middle English forms based on Medieval Latin 'apportionare' (from Latin 'portio'). Over time the verb gave rise to the noun form 'apportionment' in modern English.
Initially it referred specifically to dividing something into portions (a 'share'), and over time it has come to mean both the act of dividing and the resulting assigned shares in legal, political, and financial contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the act or process of apportioning; the allocation or distribution of something (such as costs, resources, seats, or responsibilities) among parties or parts.
The apportionment of the estate among the heirs took several months.
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Noun 2
a specific share or portion assigned to a person or group as determined by a formula, agreement, or legal decision (often used in legal, legislative, or financial contexts).
Congress debated the apportionment of seats in the legislature after the census.
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Last updated: 2025/09/26 09:16