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accreditation

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Etymology and origin of the English word accreditation

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1806 Memoirs of Richard Cumberland
Ultimate origin
English accredit,-ation

Pronunciation

  • UK: /əˌkɹɛd.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/[1]
  • US: /əˌkɹɛd.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/, /əˌkɹɛd.əˈteɪ.ʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English accredit + -ation.[2][3][4] The OED thinks it probably came partly from that verb and partly from the rare verb accreditate with -ion.[2] The verb, recorded from the early 17th century, is from Middle French acrediter, now accréditer,[2][3][5] which the OED derives from Spanish acreditar (“to gain someone's confidence, to credit”),[2] and Etymonline from à (“to”) and créditer (“to credit”), from crédit.[3][6] Merriam-Webster takes the verb as probably borrowed from Latin accrēditus, past participle of accrēdō (“to give credence to”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of accrediting, or the fact of being accredited; a recommendation to credit or official recognition: 1806, in the Memoirs of Richard Cumberland.[2][4][3]

Semantic evolution

The word first applied to recommending a person to credit or official recognition, especially diplomats and, later, journalists.[2] From 1904, first in the United States, it was used in education for the official certification that a school or course meets standards set by outside regulators, and then for a professional endorsement.[2][4]

Timeline

  • 1806 – the act of accrediting; official recognition.[2][3][4]
  • 1904 – US, official certification of a school or course.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act or process of officially recognizing that a school, hospital, course or professional meets required standards: The college lost its accreditation last year.[4][2]
  2. The state of being accredited, especially of a diplomat or journalist officially recognized by a government or organization.[4][2]

Word family

  • reaccreditation

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Cite this entry

“Accreditation.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/accreditation. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·