Etymologically
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acknowledge

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 12:58. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /əkˈnɒl.ɪd͡ʒ/ (UK); /əkˈnɑ.lɪd͡ʒ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is a blend of Middle English aknow, to admit, and knowlechen, to admit or acknowledge (see knowledge),[2][3][4][5] formed perhaps on the analogy of aknow and know.[4][6] Aknow is from Old English oncnāwan (“to understand, recognize”), from on and cnāwan, to know (see know).[3][2] An unetymological -c- slipped in, perhaps to preserve the old kn- sound when kn- was reduced to n-.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To recognize someone as what he claims to be: 1481, in Caxton's Mirror of the World.[2][7] Etymonline dates it to the late 15th century.[3]

Semantic evolution

The OED notes that by the 16th century the older verbs knowledge and acknow were obsolete and acknowledge took their place.[3] To own the knowledge of, to confess, is from 1553.[7] To express thanks for a gift or service is from 1667,[7] and to confirm receipt of a letter is a later sense.[8][9] To recognize a document as genuine and legally valid is from 1870,[7] and to show that one has noticed someone, as with a nod, from 1881.[7] Acknowledgment is from the 1590s.[2]

Timeline

  • 1481 – to recognize as valid.[2][7]
  • 1553 – to confess.[7]
  • 1590s – acknowledgment.[2]
  • 1667 – to thank for a gift.[7]
  • 1881 – to show recognition of someone.[7]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To accept or admit the truth or existence of.
  2. To recognize the authority or claims of.
  3. To show that one has noticed or recognized someone.
  4. To express thanks for.
  5. To confirm receipt of: acknowledge a letter.

Word family

  • acknowledgeable
  • acknowledger
  • preacknowledge
  • reacknowledge
  • acknowledged

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins