accordance

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈkɔː.dəns/ (UK); /əˈkoɹ.dəns/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English acordance, acordaunce, borrowed from Old French acordance (“agreement, reconciliation, harmony”),^[2][3][4] from acorder, to bring to agreement (see accord).^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Agreement, harmony: 1303 in the OED;^[5] compliance, about 1300, in Etymonline.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Of things, conformity or compatibility is from the late 14th century.^[2] The phrase in accordance with is attested by 1793 in Etymonline and 1806–31 in the OED;^[2][5] in Middle English in accordance of was the usual form.^[2] The act of granting is from 1881.^[5]

Timeline

• 1303 – agreement.^[5]
• late 14th century – conformity.^[2]
• 1793 – in accordance with.^[2]
• 1881 – the act of granting.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Agreement or conformity, especially in the phrase “in accordance with”.
2. The act of granting: the accordance of rights.

Related words

• accord
• according
• accordingly
• concord
• discord
• cordial

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press