Accomplish

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /əˈkʌm.plɪʃ/

Definitions

1. To successfully complete or achieve a goal, task, or objective through effort and skill
2. To achieve a desired outcome, task, or objective through dedicated effort and skillful execution
3. To successfully bring a goal, task, or ambition to fruition by employing effort and expertise

Etymology: The verb carries a quiet sense of filling something up. Its Latin ancestor, "complēre", meant "fill up" or "fill out", and English "complete" comes from the same source. "Accomplish" grew from a Vulgar Latin form, "(ac)complīre", which blended the prefix "ad-" (sounding "ac-" before "c") with that verb, giving the sense of bringing something fully to its end. The word passed into Middle English through Old French "acomplir" (modern "accomplir"), and by the late 14th century it was in use in English. What is striking is that the word began as a verb of filling rather than finishing. Someone who accomplished a task was, in effect, filling its outline until nothing remained empty. The modern meaning of successful completion grew out of that image, so the physical notion of a container being filled lies hidden in the everyday idea of getting something done.

Synonyms: achieve, attain, execute, fulfill, complete

Antonyms: fail, abandon, neglect, forfeit