Acquiescences

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The agreements or acknowledgments made without protest or objection
2. the passive acceptance of situations without active resistance or challenge
3. the act of yielding or consenting to requests or demands without active engagement

Etymology: "Acquiescences" is simply the plural of "acquiescence," so the history belongs to that base noun. It was borrowed from French "acquiescence," which descends from the Latin verb "acquiescere," meaning "to rest upon" or "to find rest in," built from "ad-" ("to") and "quiescere" ("to be quiet" or "to rest"). The Latin root is the same one behind "quiet" and "quiescent," so the literal picture is of something settling and coming to rest. That image explains the modern sense. Consenting without fuss is a kind of putting down one's objections and letting the matter lie still. Plural forms are used when the word refers to several separate instances of that yielding, such as a series of concessions a negotiator or a reluctant household makes over time.