Etymologically
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admit

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ədˈmɪt/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English admitten,[2][3] borrowed from Latin admittere (“to admit, give entrance; allow, permit”),[3][2][4] from ad- “to” and mittere “to let go, send”,[3][2] the source of mission.[2][3] Merriam-Webster Unabridged gives it through Anglo-French admettre,[5] but Barnhart argues that French transmission is unlikely, since the Old French forms have e (ametre, admettre).[2] Middle English also had amit, after Old French amettre, refashioned in the 15th century.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

“To let in”: before 1387 in Barnhart,[2] the late 14th century in Etymonline.[3] The OED's first quotations, for admitting to do something, are from 1413.[6]

Semantic evolution

“To concede as valid or true in argument” is from the early 15th century,[3][4] and “to allow, permit” from before 1423.[6] Admitting into an office or position is from 1473,[6] and into a place from 1530.[6] “To acknowledge as valid or lawful” is from 1538.[6] Admission is from the 15th century, and admittance and admissible from the 16th and 17th.[4]

Timeline

  • a. 1387 – to let in.[2]
  • 1413 – to admit to doing something.[6]
  • early 15th century – to concede as true.[3]
  • 1473 – into an office.[6]
  • 1538 – to acknowledge.[6]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To allow to enter.
  2. To allow to join a group or institution, or to take up a position or privilege.
  3. To accept as true or valid; to acknowledge or confess.
  4. To have room for: the theatre admits 300 people.
  5. To leave room for; to permit: the facts admit no other explanation.
  6. To take (a patient) into hospital.

Word family

  • admittable
  • admitter
  • admittance
  • admittedly
  • readmit
  • admissible
  • admission
  • mission
  • permit
  • submit

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 c d e f g 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. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ 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