Etymologically
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achievement

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 03:24. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /əˈtʃiːv.mənt/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Anglo-Norman achevement (“a finishing”), French achèvement,[2][3][4] from achever (“to finish, accomplish”) (see achieve) and -ment;[3][2] the SOED also allows a formation in English from achieve and -ment.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The action of achieving or completing: 1475 in the OED, the late 15th century in Etymonline.[5][3]

Semantic evolution

In heraldry, an achievement was a coat of arms granted in memory of a distinguished feat (1548), especially one displayed when a person of rank died; its worn-down form is hatchment.[5][6][7] A thing achieved by effort, a feat, is from 1593, the 1590s in Etymonline.[5][3] In psychology, performance in a standardized test, as in achievement test, is from 1921, chiefly American.[5]

Timeline

  • 1475 – completion.[5]
  • 1548 – a heraldic achievement.[5]
  • 1593 – a feat.[5]
  • 1921 – achievement test.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Something done successfully, especially with effort, skill or courage.
  2. The act of achieving or completing something.
  3. (heraldry) A display of a coat of arms; a hatchment.

Word family

  • achievement age
  • achievement quotient

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Trench, Richard Chenevix (1859), A Select Glossary of English Words Used Formerly in Senses Different from Their Present, London: John W. Parker
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins