admission

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ædˈmɪʃ.n̩/ (UK); /ədˈmɪʃən/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English admyssion, borrowed from Anglo-Norman admission and directly borrowed from Latin admissio (“a letting in; admittance to an interview”),^[2][3][4] from admiss-, the past participle stem of admittere (“to admit, give entrance”) (see admit),^[2][3] from ad (“to”) and mittere, to let go, send (see mission).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Acceptance, reception, approval: about 1430 in Barnhart, the early 15th century in Etymonline.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Reception into an office, appointment, is from 1494.^[5] An acknowledging, admitting something as true, is from the 1530s (1538 in the OED).^[3][5] The literal sense, the act of letting someone enter a place, is from the 1620s (1622 in the OED).^[3][5] As short for the admission price, it is by 1792.^[3][5] In law, a concession of a fact is from 1808.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 1430 – acceptance.^[2]
• 1494 – appointment to office.^[5]
• 1538 – acknowledgement.^[5]
• 1622 – admittance to a place.^[5]
• 1792 – an entry fee.^[3][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A statement acknowledging that something is true; a confession.
2. The act of allowing someone to enter a place or join an organization.
3. The price charged for entry.
4. Acceptance of a patient into hospital.

Word family

• admissive
• nonadmission
• preadmission
• readmission
• open admission

Related words

• admit
• admittance
• mission
• emission
• permission

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ 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