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the act of .
anything for a special purpose, especially money.
an act of a legislature authorizing money to be paid from the treasury for a specified use.
the money thus authorized:
a large appropriation for aid to libraries.
Contemporary Examples

The image gives a new take on Sherrie Levine-ish appropriation, getting at it through full-blown still life.
Appropriation, In The Flesh Blake Gopnik December 11, 2012

You could write a thick book tracing his appropriation of rhetoric from Lincoln, FDR, Truman, JFK, and lately, Teddy Roosevelt.
Obama’s Speech Took Ideas From the GOP and Rhetoric From Madison Avenue Lee Siegel January 27, 2012

The 2009 appropriation tripled the rate of assistance that the U.S. had been sending.
What If the U.S. Cuts Off Aid to Pakistan? David A. Graham May 3, 2011

The “culprits” in the appropriation of my discipline are two of my best friends, Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein.
Daniel Kahneman’s Gripe With Behavioral Economics Jesse Singal April 25, 2013

And Obama took a proactive role in requesting the 2009 appropriation.
What If the U.S. Cuts Off Aid to Pakistan? David A. Graham May 3, 2011

Historical Examples

He stands charged with unlawful, if not criminal, appropriation of gifts and moneys.
The Works of Lord Byron Lord Byron

How about the blatant person who had declared HE could have gotten the appropriation?
Cy Whittaker’s Place Joseph C. Lincoln

He would ask, could not an appropriation be made for the use of the Military Establishment in general terms?
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. II (of 16) Thomas Hart Benton

Congress had already made an appropriation of $850,000 to build gunboats.
Union and Democracy Allen Johnson

The Council accepted the challenge, and rejected the appropriation Bill.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 2 Various

noun
the act of setting apart or taking for one’s own use
a sum of money set apart for a specific purpose, esp by a legislature
n.

late 14c., “taking (something) as private property,” from Late Latin appropriationem (nominative appropriatio) “a making one’s own,” noun of action from past participle stem of appropriare (see appropriate). Meaning “setting aside for some purpose” (especially of money) first attested 1789 in U.S. Constitution.

The grant of money by a legislature for some specific purpose. The authority to grant appropriations, popularly known as the power of the purse, gives legislatures a powerful check over executive branches and judicial branches, for no public money can be spent without legislative approval. Congress, for example, can approve or reject the annual budget requests of the executive branch for its agencies and programs, thereby influencing both domestic and foreign policy. (See also checks and balances and pork-barrel legislation.)