To allow is to let something happen or to give someone permission to do something. It can also mean to accept or admit something as true or possible.
From Old French *alouer* “to praise, approve, accept,” from Latin *allaudare* “to praise.” The meaning shifted from approving something to permitting it.
Allow carries an old flavor of ‘approval’—not just “I won’t stop you,” but “I accept this as okay.” When we say “I can’t allow that,” we’re really saying this action doesn’t fit inside the circle of what we recognize as acceptable.
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