The story
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today it means: In budgeting, the proportional distribution or allocation of parameters, such as noise power and transmission losses, among a number of tandem-connected items, such as equipment, cables, links, or trunks, in order to balance the performance of communications circuits. Full definition →
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.