Agreeance

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of being in full accord or concord with another person or group, especially in opinion or intention
2. A rare term for the condition of holding the same view or reaching a mutual understanding with someone else
3. Concord or consent between two or more people, meaning that they share the same opinion or have settled a matter together

Etymology: "Agreeance" is a rare, somewhat archaic noun meaning agreement or consent. It came into English from Old French "agréance," which was formed from the verb "agréer," meaning "to agree." The source behind this entry notes that the word was built as if from "agree" plus the suffix "-ance," the same ending found in words such as "acceptance" and "allowance." English speakers have long used that ending to turn verbs into nouns of action or state, so "agreeance" follows a familiar pattern even though the French original is the more direct model. The result is a word that sounds like a close relative of "agreement" but takes a different route to get there. "Agreement" comes from the same verb family through a different suffix, so the two nouns run in parallel rather than one descending from the other. Because "agreeance" is uncommon, the more familiar "agreement" has largely displaced it in everyday use.