Acceptions

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Different meanings or interpretations assigned to a word or phrase in various contexts; accepted statements or acknowledgments made; instances of receiving or admitting something
2. Various senses or definitions that a term can have depending on usage; accepted assertions or recognitions; occasions when something is taken or admitted
3. Distinct understandings or interpretations attached to a word; approved declarations or confirmations; examples of something being accepted or admitted

Etymology: "Acceptions" is the plural of "acception," a noun that has drifted a long way from its Latin root. Its ancestor, Latin "acceptio," meant "acceptance" or "receiving," and the sense of taking something in or agreeing to it is still visible in the word's older uses. English acquired it from Middle English "accepcioun," which came via Middle French "accepcion," itself from the Latin source. The plural points to the modern meaning, which is about how a word or phrase is understood in different situations. That sense grew out of the idea of accepting a particular reading or interpretation of something. Because "acception" covers both the act of receiving and the particular sense one takes from a term, the plural form ends up naming the various meanings a word can carry depending on context.

Synonyms: meanings, senses, definitions, interpretations, connotations