misallocation

M3I1S1A1L1L1O1C3A1T1I1O1N1

noun

An improper or unwise allocation, especially of money.

OriginEnglish allocation ← Middle English mys- ← Old English mis- →
UncommonScrabble 17
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Meanings

nounmisallocation (plural misallocations)

plural misallocations

  1. An improper or unwise allocation, especially of money.

    When the bulk of a bank's assets can be traded, relying on historical acquisition costs distorts reality and leads to capital misallocation.

    2009 January 6, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Martin Hutchinson, “Rebuilding the S.E.C.”, in New York Times

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*mey-?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*meyth₂-
  3. Proto-Germanic*missaz
  4. Proto-Germanic*missa-
  5. Proto-West Germanic*missa-
  6. Old Englishmis-
  7. Middle Englishmys-
  8. Englishmis-
  9. Englishallocation
  10. Englishmisallocation

From mis- + allocation.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

misallocation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misallocation

MLA

“misallocation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misallocation. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “misallocation,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misallocation.

Source: misallocation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.