English Reference
noun

accommodation

n.
US /əˌkɑməˈdeɪʃən/ UK /ɐkˌɒmədˈeɪʃən/ ac·com·mo·da·tion

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate Formal

    a change or agreement that helps people with different needs work together.

    the process of adjusting or adapting to something; a settlement or compromise between conflicting parties.

    Simple

    The company made an accommodation for the employee who needed to work from home.

    In context

    The treaty required a significant accommodation of the minority group's linguistic rights to ensure long-term regional stability.

    Usage

    Often used with the preposition 'to' or 'with'.

  2. 02 C2 Proficiency Technical Medicine

    the way your eye changes focus to see things clearly at different distances.

    the automatic adjustment of the lens of the eye to maintain a distinct image of an object as its distance varies.

    Simple

    As people get older, the accommodation of their eyes becomes less effective.

    In context

    The patient exhibited a marked decrease in the power of accommodation, necessitating a prescription for bifocal lenses to assist with near-field tasks.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced AcademicTechnical Science

    changing how you speak to match the person you are talking to.

    the process by which participants in a conversation adjust their accent, diction, or gestures to match those of their interlocutors.

    Simple

    She used simpler words as an accommodation for the young children in the class.

    In context

    Linguistic accommodation often occurs subconsciously when a speaker adopts the regional dialect of their host environment to build social rapport.

    Usage

    Commonly referred to as 'Communication Accommodation Theory' in linguistics.


From French accommodation, from Latin accommodātiō (“adjustment, accommodation, compliance”), from accommodō (“adapt, put in order”). Superficially accommodate + -ion. The sense of "lodging" was first attested in 1600.

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

This entry
Origin Latin accommodātiō
Level B1 · Intermediate
Frequency Common
Updated