• vt. 允許；給予；認可
• vi. 容許；考慮

1.前綴al-同ad-, 去，往. 詞根laud-, 表揚，詞源同laudable，表揚，許可。引申詞義準許。

2.前綴al-同ad-, 去，往. 詞根loc-, 放置，分配，詞源同locate，該詞字母c脫落。引申詞義補助的津貼。

allow

allow: [14] Allow comes ultimately from two completely different Latin verbs, allaudāre and allocāre, which became blended in Old French alouer. The first, allaudāre, was based on laudāre ‘praise’ (source of English laud, laudable, and laudatory); the second, allocāre (source of English allocate [17]) on locāre ‘place’.

The formal similarity of the Latin verbs gradually drew their meanings closer together. The notion of ‘placing’, and hence ‘allotting’ or ‘assigning’, developed via the now obsolete ‘place to somebody’s credit’ to ‘take into account, admit’. Meanwhile, the idea of ‘praising’ moved through ‘commending’ or ‘approving’ to ‘accepting as true or valid’, and ultimately to ‘permitting’.
=> allocate, laudable, location

allow (v.)

early 14c., allouen, "to commend, praise; approve of, be pleased with; appreciate the value of;" also, "take into account or give credit for," also, in law and philosophy, "recognize, admit as valid" (a privilege, an excuse, a statement, etc.). From late 14c. as "sanction or permit; condone;" in business use from early 15c.

The Middle English word is from Anglo-French alouer, Old French aloer, alloiier (13c.) "allot, apportion, bestow, assign," from Latin allocare (see allocate). This word in Old French was confused and ultimately merged with aloer; alloer "to praise, commend," from Latin allaudare, adlaudare, compound of ad- "to" (see ad-) + laudare "to praise" (see laud). From the first word came the sense preserved in allowance as "money granted;" from the second came its meaning "permission based on approval."

Between the two primary significations there naturally arose a variety of uses blending them in the general idea of assign with approval, grant, concede a thing claimed or urged, admit a thing offered, permit, etc., etc. [OED].

Related: Allowed; allowing.

1. They will not allow your more way-out ideas to pass unchallenged.

他們不會放過你這些古怪的念頭的。

來自柯林斯例句

2. Police warned motorists to allow extra time to get to work.

警方告誡駕車者出門上班要留出富余時間。

來自柯林斯例句

3. Why should a successful company allow another firm to pick its brains?

為什么一個成功的企業就得允許別的公司來討教呢？

來自柯林斯例句

4. The decision to allow more offshore oil drilling angered some Californians.

允許進行更多近海石油鉆探的決定激怒了一些加利福尼亞人。

來自柯林斯例句

5. He promised to allow justice to run its course unimpeded.

他承諾要讓司法正義不受阻礙地得到伸張。

來自柯林斯例句