Acceptables

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Embraced or approved standards that are considered suitable for a specific context or situation
2. Establishing norms or criteria that are regarded as permissible within certain parameters or conditions
3. Denoting those things or actions that meet minimal requirements of desirability or appropriateness

Etymology: "Acceptables" is the plural of the noun "acceptable," which means something considered suitable or tolerable. The noun is an inflected form of the adjective "acceptable," so its story is really the story of that adjective, which came into Middle English from Anglo-Norman and Middle French "acceptable," itself drawn from Late Latin "acceptābilis," meaning "worthy of acceptance." The Latin root is "accipere," "to receive" or "to take," built from "ad-" ("to") and "capere" ("to take"). The English word is formed from "accept," which came from the same Latin verb, plus the suffix "-able," meaning "capable of being" or "fit for." Put together, "acceptable" literally describes something capable of being received or taken favourably.