Omittances

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

  1. The act or instance of leaving out or neglecting something; amounts of money left unpaid or withheld; omissions or neglects in reporting or accounting
  2. The process of excluding or failing to include certain details; sums of money not remitted or transferred; failures to provide required information or payments
  3. Instances where something is purposely or accidentally left out; financial transfers that are not completed; neglects or lapses in communication or obligation fulfillment

Etymology: The noun in question traces back to the base verb "omit," which means to leave out or exclude something either intentionally or accidentally. This verb entered English in the late Middle Ages, coming from the Latin "omittere," a compound of "ob-" meaning "away" and "mittere" meaning "to send." The sense was originally quite literal: to send away or let go, which evolved into the figurative idea of leaving something out. From "omit," the abstract noun form "omission" arose, referring to the act or instance of omitting. However, "omittance" developed as a less common variant, formed by adding the suffix "-ance," which denotes an action or process. This suffix choice aligns "omittance" with similar nouns like "acceptance" or "attendance," giving it a formal, somewhat legal or administrative tone. "Omittance" typically appears in contexts emphasizing the process or state of omission rather than the result. It surfaced in English usage around the 16th century, though it has always been overshadowed by "omission," which remains far more frequent. The plural form, "omittances," is simply the pluralization of this noun, referring to multiple instances or cases of leaving something out. The word’s journey is straightforward but illustrates how English often offers multiple noun forms from the same root verb, each carrying slightly different nuances or registers. While "omission" is the everyday choice, "omittance" often appears in formal writing, especially in legal or bureaucratic language, where the precise characterization of an act of leaving something out matters.

Synonyms: omissions, exclusions, neglects, oversights, lapses

Antonyms: inclusions, additions, insertions, acceptances, embraces