English Reference

Word

acceptation

Phoneticsac·cep·ta·tion

UK/ɐksɪptˈeɪʃən/

Definition

n. the act of receiving or taking something, or the way a word is understood by a specific group of people. It is a very old-fashioned word that you will rarely see in modern writing.

n. the act of receiving or taking something; also, the specific meaning or interpretation of a word as understood by a particular person or group.

Examples

“The word has a different acceptation in this old book.”

“In the 18th century, the term 'gay' had a different acceptation than it does today.”

“The author's use of the word 'liberty' is subject to a specific acceptation that differs significantly from the common understanding of the term in contemporary political discourse.”

Examples

simple

“The word has a different acceptation in this old book.”

contextual

“In the 18th century, the term 'gay' had a different acceptation than it does today.”

complex

“The author's use of the word 'liberty' is subject to a specific acceptation that differs significantly from the common understanding of the term in contemporary political discourse.”

Etymology

From Middle English acceptacioun, acceptation, from Middle French acceptacion and Late Latin acceptātiō. By surface analysis, accept + -ation.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Rare
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference