Achieve

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /əˈt͡ʃiːv/

Definitions

1. To successfully reach a goal or complete something through effort and skill
2. To successfully obtain a target or finish a task by applying skills and diligence
3. To reach a desired goal or finish an objective by utilizing effort and abilities

Etymology: The verb "achieve" grew from a phrase meaning "to bring to a head." Old French had "venir a chief," literally "to come to the head," meaning to bring something to completion, and Late Latin had the similar "ad caput venire." The Old French "achever" was built from "a-" (a prefix indicating movement toward or change of state) plus "chief," meaning "end" or "head," which goes back to Latin "caput." So the core idea is less about winning than about carrying a task all the way to its top or final point. The sense of finishing shows up clearly in the English ancestor, Middle English "achieven," which could mean to accomplish something, to obtain something, or simply to finish a job. Its meanings spread out from that base, and "to succeed in" arrived alongside them. Modern "achieve," with its emphasis on reaching a goal, is a narrowed and sharpened version of that older sense of bringing something to completion.

Synonyms: attain, accomplish, reach, realize, fulfill

Antonyms: fail, miss, lose, abandon, forfeit