Acceptant

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ækˈsɛp.tənt/

Definitions

1. A person or entity that consents to receive a specific item or offer, often within formal agreements or contracts
2. An individual or party who willingly receives or agrees to something offered or proposed
3. Someone who acknowledges and agrees to take on a particular item, responsibility, or offer

Etymology: "Acceptant" is a plain English formation: the verb "accept" with the suffix "-ant", which in English forms adjectives (and sometimes nouns) meaning one who or that which does the action. The verb itself came into Middle English from Old French "accepter", which was built on Latin "acceptare", a frequentative of "accipere", meaning "to receive" or "to take up". That Latin verb combined "ad-", "toward", with "capere", "to take", so the core idea of the family is grasping something that is offered. The "-ant" ending traces back through Old French "-ant" and Latin "-ans" (genitive "-antis"), a participle ending that English adopted widely in words such as "assistant" and "tenant". Because "acceptant" is simply the verb plus this ending, its meaning follows directly from "accept": a person who takes or agrees to take what is put before them.

Synonyms: receptive, open

Antonyms: rejecting, unreceptive