acknowledgment

Etymology

It is formed from English acknowledge + -ment.^[2][3][4][5] Etymonline quotes the OED that it is an early instance of -ment added to a verb of English origin.^[5] The verb itself is a blend of Middle English aknouen (“to admit”) and knoulechen (“to admit, acknowledge”).^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of acknowledging: Merriam-Webster's first date is 1560;^[2] Etymonline dates the word to the 1590s and Dictionary.com to 1585–95.^[5][3] The Shorter Oxford dates both the act of admitting or confessing and the recognition of another's authority or claims to the late 16th century,^[4] and Shakespeare used it in Henry V ("With this acknowledgement, That God fought for us").^[4]

Semantic evolution

The meaning "token of due recognition", something given in return for a favour, is recorded from the 1610s,^[5] and the Shorter Oxford dates the recognition of a gift or message, with the author's acknowledgements of help, to the early 17th century.^[4] The legal sense, a formal declaration that gives an act or document validity, followed in the mid 17th century.^[4][2] Johnson (1755) listed the recognition of a quality in another, the admission of a truth, the confession of a fault, gratitude for a benefit, and an act of homage.^[7]

Timeline

• 1560 – the act of acknowledging.^[2]
• late 16th century – admission, confession; recognition of authority or claims.^[4]
• 1610s – a token of recognition, something given in return.^[5][4]
• mid 17th century – a formal legal declaration of an act or document.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. The act of acknowledging, or the state of being acknowledged; admission or recognition of a fact or claim: an acknowledgment of the error.^[8][2][4]
2. Recognition or favourable notice of an achievement.^[2]
3. Something done or given to show that something has been received, or as thanks: We sent a short acknowledgment of the parcel.^[8][2][4]
4. (usually plural) An author's statement thanking others for help, printed in a book.^[8][2][4]
5. (law) A formal declaration before an official that gives an act or document legal validity.^[2][4]

Related words

• acknowledge
• knowledge
• know
• judgment

Usage notes

The word is also spelled acknowledgement;^[8][4] Merriam-Webster calls that spelling less common, and Dictionary.com especially British.^[2][3] Etymonline quotes the OED's view that acknowledgment is a spelling more in keeping with English values of letters, comparing judgment.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
7. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
8. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins