acquaint

English

Etymology

From Middle English aqueynten, acointen, from Old French acointier, from Early Medieval Latin accognitāre, from Late Latin accognitus, past participle of accognoscō, from Latin cognoscō, from nōscō. See also quaint, know.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈkweɪnt/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ac‧quaint
• Rhymes: -eɪnt

Verb

acquaint (third-person singular simple present acquaints, present participle acquainting, simple past and past participle acquainted)

1. (transitive, followed by with) To furnish or give experimental knowledge of; to make (one) know; to make familiar.

   I think you should acquaint him with the realities of the situation.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, Isaiah 53:3:

     He is despised and reiected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with griefe: and we hid as it were our faces from him; hee was despised, and wee esteemed him not.

   • 1693, [John Locke], “§162”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: A and J Churchill, , →OCLC, page 203:

     Before a Man can be in any capacity to ſpeak on any ſubject, 'tis neceſsary to be acquainted with it: Or elſe 'tis as fooliſh to ſet him to diſcourſe on it, as to ſet a blind Man to talk of Colours, or a deaf man of Muſick.

2. (transitive, archaic, followed by of or that) To communicate notice to; to inform; let know.
   • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 68, column 2:

     Acquaint her here, of my Sonne Paris Loue,

   • c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 91, column 1:

     I muſt acquaint you, that I haue recciu'd
     New-dated Letters from Northumberland:

   • 1655 April 21, “Mr. Ja. Nutley to ſecreary Thurloe.”, in A Collection of the State Papers of John Thurloe, Eſq; , volume III, London: the Executor of the late Mr. Fletcher Gyles; Thomas Woodward,  Charles Davis, , published 1742, page 399:

     I had almoſt forgotten to acquaint your honor, that one major Alford (who was in mr. Love's conſpiracy) was of the graund inqueſt at Saliſbury, and was very zealous in his highneſſe ſervice here, and his good affection and wiſe carriage here, did much advantage the buſſineſe.

   • 1771–1790, Benjamin Franklin, “The Autobiography ”, in John Bigelow, editor, Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. , Philadelphia, Pa.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott & Co., published 1868, →OCLC, page 159:

     He went directly, sign'd the indentures, was put into the ship, and came over, never writing a line to acquaint his friends what was become of him.

3. (transitive, obsolete) To familiarize; to accustom.
   • October 2 1642, Isaac Basire, letter to John Evelyn

     What success it may further have I shall acquaint you at my coming over

Synonyms

• (to make familiar): familiarize
• (to communicate notice to): advise, apprise, inform; See also Thesaurus:inform
• (to familiarize; to accustom): habituate, inure

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

acquaint (not comparable)

1. (now chiefly Scotland) Acquainted.
   • 1992, Alasdair Gray, Poor Things, Bloomsbury, published 2002, page 317:

     [I]f you have skimmed through even a paragraph of my poor neglected little magnum opus you will know I am unusually acquaint with my inner workings.

Related terms

References

• “acquaint”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “acquaint”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “acquaint”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Scots

Adjective

acquaint

1. Alternative form of acquant

References

• “acquaint, ppl.adj.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.