Recorded since 1553, a blend ofMiddle Englishaknowen(“to recognize, acknowledge”) andknowlechen(“to discover, reveal, acknowledge”). The former verb is fromOld Englishoncnāwan, ācnāwan(“to know, recognize, acknowledge”), fromon +cnāwan(“to know”). The latter is derived from the noun at hand inknowledge. For the formation compareLatinagnōscō andRussianпризна́ть(priznátʹ), with cognate roots.
The/k/-sound was preserved by being redistributed to the preceding syllable:/əˈkn-/ >/əkˈn-/. The-c- was inserted accordingly to reflect this pronunciation more clearly.
- (Received Pronunciation)IPA(key): /əkˈnɒl.ɪd͡ʒ/,[əkˈnɒɫ.ɪd͡ʒ],[əɡˈnɒɫ.ɪd͡ʒ]
- (US)IPA(key): /əkˈnɑ.lɪd͡ʒ/,[əkˈnɑ.ləd͡ʒ],[ɪkˈnɑ.lɪd͡ʒ],[əɡˈnɑ.ləd͡ʒ],[ɪɡˈnɑ.lɪd͡ʒ],[ɪɡˈnɑ.ləd͡ʒ]
- Rhymes:-ɒlɪdʒ
- Hyphenation US:ac‧knowl‧edge, UK:ac‧know‧ledge
acknowledge (third-person singular simple presentacknowledges,present participleacknowledging,simple past and past participleacknowledged)
- (transitive) Toadmit the knowledge of; to recognize as a fact or truth; to declare one's belief in
toacknowledge the being of a god
1631 (first performance),Philip Massinger,The Emperour of the East. A Tragæ-comœdie. […], London: […] Thomas Harper, forIohn Waterson, published1632,→OCLC,Act IV, scene iii:[T]he charge of my moſt curious, and coſtly ingredients fraide, amounting to ſome ſeaventeene thouſand crovvnes, a trifle in reſpect of health, vvriting your noble name in my Catalogue, I ſhallacknovvledge my ſelfe amply ſatisfi'd.
1604, Jeremy Corderoy,A Short Dialogve, wherein is Proved, that No Man can be Saved without Good VVorkes, 2nd edition, Oxford: Printed by Ioseph Barnes, and are to be sold inPaules Church-yard at the signe of the Crowne, by Simon Waterson,→OCLC,page40:[N]ow ſuch a liue vngodly, vvithout a care of doing the wil of the Lord (though they profeſſe him in their mouths, yea though they beleeue andacknowledge all the Articles of the Creed, yea haue knowledge of the Scripturs) yet if they liue vngodly, they deny God, and therefore ſhal be denied,[…]
2017,BioWare,Mass Effect: Andromeda, Redwood City: Electronic Arts,→OCLC, PC, scene: Nexus:Addison: Pathfinder, you're making a mistake.
Ryder: Maybe. But at least I'm willing toacknowledge it.
- (transitive) To own or recognize in a particular quality, character or relationship; to admit the claims or authority of; to giverecognition to.
c.1591–1595 (date written),William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act III, scene v]:By my soul, I'll ne'eracknowledge thee.
1891,Henry Melville, chapter 3, inBilly Budd:Such an episode in the Island's grand naval story her naval historians naturally abridge; one of them (G.P.R. James) candidlyacknowledging that fain would he pass it over did not "impartiality forbid fastidiousness."
2013, Tova Rosen,Unveiling Eve: Reading Gender in Medieval Hebrew Literature:He is calmed down only when the bearer of the beard “unbeards,” andacknowledges himself as Asher's old pal:[…]
- (transitive) To begrateful of (e.g. a benefit or a favour)
toacknowledge a favor
1667,John Milton, “Book XI”, inParadise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […];[a]nd by Robert Boulter […];[a]nd Matthias Walker, […],→OCLC; republished asParadise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […],1873,→OCLC:They his giftsacknowledged none.
- (transitive) Toreport (the receipt of a message to its sender).
This is toacknowledge your kind invitation to participate in the upcoming debate.
- (transitive) To own asgenuine orvalid; toassent to (a legal instrument) to give it validity; to avow or admit in legal form.
1843, Thomas Isaac Wharton,A Digest of the Reported Cases Adjudged in the Several Courts Held in Pennsylvania, Together with Some Manuscript Cases:One who has been sheriff mayacknowledge a deed executed by him while in office.
to admit the knowledge of
- Afrikaans:erken (af)
- Belarusian:прызнава́ць impf(pryznavácʹ),прызна́ць pf(pryznácʹ)
- Bulgarian:признава́м (bg) impf(priznavám)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin:承認 /承认 (zh)(chéngrèn)
- Czech:připustit (cs) pf
- Danish:anerkende,erkende,vedgå (da)
- Dutch:bekennen (nl),erkennen (nl)
- Esperanto:agnoski
- Finnish:tunnustaa (fi),hyväksyä (fi)
- French:reconnaître (fr)
- Friulian:ricognossi
- Galician:recoñecer (gl)
- German:zur Kenntnis nehmen,erkennen (de),bekennen (de)
- Gothic:𐌰𐍄𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽(atkunnan)
- Greek:αναγνωρίζω (el)(anagnorízo)
- Hindi:स्वीकार करना(svīkār karnā)
- Hungarian:elismer (hu)
- Irish:admhaigh
- Italian:riconoscere (it),ammettere (it)
- Japanese:承認する (ja)(しょうにんする, shōnin suru),認める (ja)(みとめる, mitomeru)
- Khiamniungan Naga:vìshākîuh
- Korean:승인하다 (ko)(seung'inhada),인정하다 (ko)(injeonghada)
- Latin:agnoscō,fateor
- Macedonian:признае(priznae),препознае(prepoznae)
- Old English:andettan,oncnāwan,geþafian
- Ottoman Turkish:طانیمق(tanımak)
- Polish:przyznawać (pl) impf,przyznać (pl) pf
- Portuguese:reconhecer (pt)
- Romanian:recunoaște (ro)
- Russian:признава́ть (ru) impf(priznavátʹ),призна́ть (ru) pf(priznátʹ)
- Scottish Gaelic:aidich
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic:прѝзнати pf
- Roman:prìznati (sh) pf
- Slovak:priznávať impf,priznať pf,pripustiť pf
- Spanish:reconocer (es),admitir (es),aceptar (es),acatar (es)
- Swedish:erkänna (sv),bekänna (sv)
- Ukrainian:визнава́ти (uk) impf(vyznaváty),ви́знати (uk) pf(význaty),признава́ти (uk) impf(pryznaváty),призна́ти (uk) pf(pryznáty)
- Welsh:cydnabod (cy)
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to admit the claims or authority of
to own as genuine or valid
Translations to be checked
