acquaintance

B1 Topic:People & Society

US /ʌˈkweɪn.təns/ UK /əˈkweɪntəns/ See IPA manual

Freq #7601

Meanings

1

noun
Someone you know slightly, but who is not a close friend.

He's just a business acquaintance, not a real friend.
2

noun
Slight knowledge of someone or something.

I have only a passing acquaintance with the law.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · someone you know slightly,... acquaintanceship

2 noun · slight knowledge of someone... familiarity

More fellowship intimacykithknowledge

Word family

Forms acquaintances

Derived forms acquaintancedacquaintancelessacquaintanceshipdisacquaintanceinacquaintancenonacquaintancepreacquaintancereacquaintancesemiacquaintanceunacquaintance

Related forms acquaint associate friend

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.

aqueyntaunce Middle English aquaintaunce xno acointance Old French acointier Old French

View etymology graph ->

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# acquaintance

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ʌˈkweɪn.təns/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈkweɪntəns/
**Frequency rank:** 7601

## Meanings
1. Someone you know slightly, but who is not a close friend.
2. Slight knowledge of someone or something.

## Examples
- He's just a business acquaintance, not a real friend.
- I have only a passing acquaintance with the law.

## Synonyms
- familiarity
- fellowship
- intimacy
- kith
- knowledge

## Derived Forms
- acquaintanced
- acquaintanceless
- acquaintanceship
- disacquaintance
- inacquaintance
- nonacquaintance
- preacquaintance
- reacquaintance
- semiacquaintance
- unacquaintance

## Related Forms
- acquaint
- associate
- friend

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: aqueyntaunce
- Root: aquaintaunce
- Root: acointance
- Root: acointier

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Acquaintance comes 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 plus -ance. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- People & Society

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acquaintance

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