acquaintance
nouncommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//əˈkweɪntəns//
- United States//ʌˈkweɪn.təns//
A state of being acquainted with a person; originally indicating friendship, intimacy, but now suggesting a slight knowledge less deep than that of friendship; acquaintanceship.
noun
- 1
A state of being acquainted with a person; originally indicating friendship, intimacy, but now suggesting a slight knowledge less deep than that of friendship; acquaintanceship.
I know of the man; but have no acquaintance with him.
Contract no friendſhip, or even acquaintance, with a guileful man : he reſembles a coal, which when hot burneth the hand, and when cold blacketh it.
- 2
A person or persons with whom one is acquainted.
Montgomery was an old acquaintance of Ferguson.
- 3
Such people collectively; one's circle of acquaintances (with plural concord).
Having therefore conſulted with my Wife, and ſome of my Acquaintance, I determined to go again to Sea.
Their mother […] was busy in the mean time in keeping up her connections, as she termed a numerous acquaintance, lest her girls should want a proper introduction into the great world.
- 4
Personal knowledge (with a specific subject etc.).
The words of these songs were either without meaning, or derived from an idiom with which Watt, a very fair linguist, had no acquaintance.
Etymology
From Middle English aqueyntaunce, from Anglo-Norman aquaintaunce, aqueintance, Old French acointance (“friendship, familiarity”), from Old French acointier (“to acquaint”). Compare French accointance. Morphologically acquaint + -ance.
Forms
- plural
- acquaintances
acquaintance · A state of being acquainted with a person; originally indicating friendship, intimacy, but now suggesting a slight knowledge less deep than that of…
acquainted · Personally known; familiar.acquire · To get.acquired · Developed after birth; not congenital.