Disallowance

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The refusal to accept or permit a specific action occurs when an authorization is not granted, leading to a negation of approval or acceptance of the request
2. This term describes the action of declining permission, resulting in the rejection of a proposal or a lack of approval for an initiative
3. The act of rejecting or denying authorization for a particular request or action

Etymology: "Disallowance" is a plain formation: the prefix "dis-" (meaning reversal or negation) joined to "allowance," which itself comes from "allow" plus the suffix "-ance." Put together, the parts describe the reversal of an allowing, so the word names the act of refusing permission. The same pieces produce a family of words in English, such as "disallow," the verb it grows from, and this noun is simply the result of applying "-ance" to that verb. Because "allow" and "dis-" are both native enough to English that their meanings are transparent, the word needs no special history to be understood. Its sense has stayed close to its parts, so a reader can work out the meaning from the components alone.

Synonyms: prohibition, rejection

Antonyms: allowance, acceptance