acquaint
pronunciation
How to pronounce acquaint in British English:
UK [əˈkweɪnt]
How to pronounce acquaint in American English:
US [əˈkweɪnt]
-
- Verb:
- cause to come to know personally
- make familiar or acquainted
- inform
Word Origin
- acquaint
- acquaint: [13] Acquaint is connected with quaint, distant though they may seem in meaning. It comes via Old French acointer from medieval Latin accognitāre, which was based ultimately on cognitus, the past participle of cognoscere ‘know’. Cognitus gave English cognition, of course, but also quaint (cognitus developed into cointe, queinte in Old French, and came to mean ‘skilled, expert’; this led later to the notion of being skilfully made or elegant, which eventually degenerated into ‘agreeably curious’).=> cognition, quaint
- acquaint (v.)
- early 13c., from Old French acointier "make known, make acquaintance of," from Vulgar Latin accognitare "to make known," from Latin accognitus "acquainted with," past participle of accognoscere "know well," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + cognitus, past participle of cogniscere "come to know," from com- "with" (see com-) + gnoscere "know" (see notice (n.)). Originally reflexive, "to make oneself known;" sense of "to gain for oneself personal knowledge of" is from early 14c. Related: Acquainted; acquainting.
Example
- 1. We must acquaint ourselves with vice .
- 2. You have to acquaint yourself with your new duties .
- 3. Can you acquaint me how you did it ?
- 4. Could you acquaint me how old you are ?
- 5. Let me acquaint you with my family .