Accommodation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˌkɒm.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/

Definitions

1. A place where someone can stay temporarily, or the act of adjusting to meet different needs or circumstances
2. A provision of housing or services for individuals, or the process of adapting behaviors and methods to fit varying situations or requirements
3. An arrangement for lodging or support, alongside the alteration of strategies to accommodate diverse needs or conditions

Etymology: The sense most people use today, a room or bed for the night, is actually the latecomer. "Accommodation" first meant adjustment, fitting one thing to another, and the lodging sense did not appear in English until 1600. The word was borrowed from French "accommodation," which had itself taken it from Latin "accommodātiō," meaning adjustment, accommodation or compliance. That Latin noun comes from "accommodō," meaning to adapt or put in order. The root is "commodus," which meant suitable, convenient or fit, so the verb carried the idea of making one thing fit alongside another. The prefix "ad-" adds the sense of moving toward, and "com-" adds togetherness. The modern English form looks like "accommodate" plus the suffix "-ion," which is the same ending found in many other nouns of action. The shift from fitting things together to providing a place to stay follows a natural path: a room is made to suit a guest's needs. The idea of adapting to someone's convenience ended up describing the space itself.

Synonyms: lodging, housing, shelter, arrangement, adjustment

Antonyms: disagreement, conflict, incompatibility