Admitting

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ədˈmɪtɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Allowing someone or something to enter or be accepted ; confessing or acknowledging a fact or truth, often reluctantly
2. Permitting access or entry into a place, group, or institution ; openly accepting or stating a truth, especially about oneself
3. Granting permission to enter or join ; admitting to having done something or to a particular condition or quality

Etymology: "Admitting" is an inflected form of "admit", so this covers the verb itself. The verb descends from Latin "admittere", built from "ad-" ("to") and "mittere" ("to send"), so its original sense was literally "to send to", and it meant to allow entrance or inlet. That is still visible in the physical sense of letting someone into a room or building. Middle English took it in through Old French "admettre" and "amettre", which carried the same idea of letting something in. The meaning of "send" disappeared almost entirely from the English verb, which now hinges on access and acknowledgment. The second sense, openly acknowledging a truth, especially about oneself, grew naturally from the notion of letting something in or out into the open, as in admitting a fact to one's own account.

Synonyms: accepting, allowing, confessing, granting, recognizing

Antonyms: denying, refusing, rejecting, disallowing, concealing