Underallow

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To provide less money or support than what is owed or anticipated
2. To assign a quantity or resource that is insufficient compared to what is required
3. To grant an amount that falls short of the necessary or agreed-upon figure

Etymology: "Under-" is an Old English prefix meaning "below" or "not enough." It attaches to verbs to mean doing something insufficiently, as in "undercook" or "underpay." Joined to "allow," it gives a verb that means exactly what its parts suggest: to permit or grant too little of something. "Allow" has a more surprising past. It came into English through Anglo-Norman and Old French "alouer," meaning to approve or praise, which traces back to Latin "allaudare," from "ad-" (to) and "laudare" (to praise). The sense of praise has faded, and the modern verb is about granting permission or a share. "Underallow" is a transparent formation with no older history of its own. Its meaning comes straight from the combination of the two parts.

Synonyms: insufficiently allow, restrict, limit

Antonyms: allow, permit, overallow