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Origin and history of acceptable

acceptable(adj.)

"pleasing, gratifying, agreeable;" late 14c., from Old French acceptable "pleasant, agreeable" and directly from Latin acceptabilis "worthy of acceptance," from acceptare "take or receive willingly" (see accept). The notion is "capable, worthy, or sure of being received with pleasure." Related: Acceptably.

acceptable

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to acceptable

accept(v.)

late 14c., accepten, "take what is offered; admit and agree to (a proposal, etc.)," from Old French accepter (14c.) or directly from Latin acceptare "take or receive willingly," frequentative of accipere "receive, get without effort," from ad "to" (see ad-) + capere "to take" (from PIE root *kap- "to grasp"). Related: Accepted; accepting.

unacceptable(adj.)

late 15c., unacceptabille, "not welcome, displeasing, not such as will be approvingly received," from un- (1) "not" + acceptable. Related: Unacceptably; unacceptableness.

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    satisfactory
    mid-15c., satisfactorie, "expiatory, capable of atoning for sin," from Old French satisfactoire (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin satisfactorius, from Latin satisfactus, past participle of satisfacere "discharge fully, comply with, make amends," literally "do enough" (see s
    decent
    1530s, "proper to one's station or rank," also "tasteful, proper with regard to modesty or social standards," from French décent, or directly from Latin decentem (nominative decens) "becoming, seemly, fitting, proper," present participle of decere "to be fitting or suitable" (fro
    persona
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    pleasant
    late 14c., plesaunte (early 14c. as a surname), "pleasing or acceptable to God;" also "agreeable, desirable; delightful,...pleasing, agreeable" (12c.), present participle of plaisir "to please, give pleasure to, satisfy," from Latin placere "to be acceptable...
    plausible
    1540s, "acceptable, agreeable; deserving applause or approval" (senses now obsolete), from Latin plausibilis "praiseworthy..., pleasing, acceptable," from plaus-, past-participle stem of plaudere "to applaud" (see plaudit)....
    gracious
    pleasing, kind, friendly" (12c., Modern French gracieux), from Latin gratiosus "enjoying favor, agreeable, obliging; popular, acceptable...
    rationalize
    give an explanation that conceals true motives" dates from 1922, on the notion of "cause to appear reasonable or socially acceptable...
    avocado
    edible, oily fruit of a tree common in the American tropics, 1763, from Spanish avocado, altered (by folk etymology influence of earlier Spanish avocado "lawyer," from same Latin source as advocate (n.)) from earlier aguacate, from Nahuatl (Aztecan) ahuakatl "avocado" (with a sec
    logic
    mid-14c., logike, "branch of philosophy that treats of forms of thinking; the science of distinction of true from false reasoning," from Old French logique (13c.), from Latin (ars) logica "logic," from Greek (he) logike (techne) "(the) reasoning (art)," from fem. of logikos "pert
    empathy
    1908, modeled on German Einfühlung (from ein "in" + Fühlung "feeling"), which was coined 1858 by German philosopher Rudolf Lotze (1817-1881) as a translation of Greek empatheia "passion, state of emotion," from assimilated form of en "in" (see en- (2)) + pathos "feeling" (from PI

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