An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

1. General: To assign or allot for a particular purpose.
   

2. Computers: To assign an amount of resource (disk, memory, CPU time, etc.) to a defined user.

Etymology (EN): From M.L. allocate imperative plural of allocare “allocate,” from → ad- “to” + locare “to place,” from locus “a place.”

Etymology (PE): Teskidan, from tesk “portion, share, part, lot; a tax upon lands, tribute extracted,” variants tešk, toxs (kardan) “distribute, divide;” loaned in Ar. tisq, tasq; tasu “a weight of four barley corns; the twenty-forth part of a weight;” Mid.Pers.
tasû “the fourth part,” loaned in Ar. tassûj, in Syriac tassûgâ “the fourth part; a measure;” ultimately Proto-Ir. *caçû-ka-; cf. Av. caθwarô, catur-, → four.