Oxford Business English Dictionary for Learners of English

apportion /a'po:Jn; AmEa'po:rJn/ verb [+ obj] apportion sth (among/between/to sb) to divide sth among people; to give a share of sth to sb: Profits are apportioned among employees, о The report gave the facts of the case but did not apportion blame.

apportionment /a'poijnmant; AmEa'po:rfn-/ noun [u,C]

the sharing of sth among people: the amount that each person gets when sth is shared: The contract defines the apportionment of risks between employer and contractor, о an apportionment of land

(Accounting) (also 'cost apportionment) the division of a cost between accounts in as fair a way as possible; the amount put in each account: Where parts of a business share a building, floor area can used as a basis of apportionment to share costs between appropriate cost centres.

(Law) apportionment of bl^me/liability a method of dividing payment between people involved in an accident, or their insurance companies, according to how responsible each person was for the accident; the amount that each has to pay: The Court of Appeal revised the apportionment of liability, finding the driver 80% liable.

(Property) an agreement between the present owner and the future owner of a property to share expenses connected with the property until the sale is complete; the amount that each agrees to pay

appraisal /a'preizi/ noun [c,u]

see also: credit appraisal, self-appraisal

I 23 approved account

appreciation /a.prkJTeiJnI noun [u; sing.]

see also: asset appreciation, capital appreciation

(Economics) increase in value over a period of time: share price appreciation о an appreciation in the value of land о an appreciation of the euro against sterling IoppI depreciation

apprentice /a'prentis/ noun [c] (HR) a young person who works for an employer for a fixed period of time in order to learn the particular skills needed in their job: She's now taken on three young apprentices, о He started work at sixteen as an apprentice chef.

apprenticeship /a'prentisjip/ noun [c,u] (HR) a period of time working as an apprentice: a two-year apprenticeship in a private bank о He had seized his apprenticeship as a plumber, о apprenticeship schemes/training

appropriate /a'prauprieit; AmE a'proo-/ verb [+obj]

(Finance) to keep or save money for a particular purpose: 8 000 has been appropriated for a new training scheme.

to take sth for your own use, especially illegally or without permission: He was accused of appropriating company funds.

appropriation /a.praopri'eijn/ noun

(Finance) [u] the act of keeping or saving money for a particular purpose: a meeting to discuss the appropriation of funds

(Finance) [C] an amount of money to be used for a particular purpose, especially by a government or a company: an appropriation of 20000for payment of debts

[u; sing.] the act of taking sth that belongs to sb else: dishonest appropriation of property

appropriation ac.count noun [c] (Accounting)

a financial account that shows how the profits of a business, especially a partnership, have been shared between its owners

in the UK, an account that shows how the money that a government department has been given has been used

approval /a'prurvl/ noun

[u,C] official agreement to, or permission for sth, especially a plan or request: The plan will be submitted to the committee for official approval, о The Board of Directors has given its approval for the new branch, о The offer is subject to approval from the AGM. о The company is seeking marketing approval for (= permission to sell) a new drug.

(Commerce) [u] if you buy goods, or if goods are sold, on approval, you can use them for a time without paying, until you decide if you want to buy them or not: The goods were sent on approval and were later returned.

★ approve /a'pru:v/ verb