recognition

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   designation by the chair granting a person the right to speak in a deliberative body

   I was unable to make my motion, because I couldn't get recognition by the chairman.

2. 2
   noun

   the process of recognizing something or someone by remembering

   The politician's recall of names was as remarkable as their recognition of faces.

3. 3
   noun

   an acceptance of a claim as true and valid

   The recognition of the Rio Grande as a boundary between Mexico and the United States settled the debate.

4. 4
   noun

   approval, identification based on previous encounters

   Sometimes recognition for trying is better than a victory.

5. 5
   noun

   the explicit and formal acknowledgement of a government or of the national independence of a country

   territorial disputes were resolved in Guatemala's recognition of Belize in 1991

6. 6
   noun

   (biology) the ability of one molecule to attach to another molecule that has a complementary shape

   molecular recognition drives all of biology, for instance, hormone and receptor or antibody-antigen interactions or the organization of molecules into larger biologically active entities

7. 7
   noun

   the state or quality of being recognized or acknowledged

   the partners were delighted with the recognition of their work

8. 8
   noun

   The act of recognizing or the condition of being recognized (matching a current observation with a memory of a prior observation of the same entity).

   He looked at her for ten full minutes before recognition dawned.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English recognicion, from Middle French recognicion, recognition and its etymon Latin recognitiōnem (accusative of recognitiō), from recognitus, past participle of recognōscere.