Skip to content

allocation

allowance

noun ah-loh-kah-SYOHN Rare
People & Society Government

Origin: Latin 'allocatio'

Also means

benefit

Usage Note

Allocation refers to a state financial benefit or allowance — les allocations familiales are child benefit payments administered by the CAF (Caisse d'Allocations Familiales), a cornerstone of the French social system. L'allocation chômage is unemployment benefit. The word is more specific than indemnité, which covers one-off compensation; allocation implies a recurring or institutional benefit.

Examples

"Les allocations familiales aident les familles nombreuses."

Natural Translation

Child benefits help large families.

Literal Translation

Family allowances help large families.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic