different between acknowledge vs profess
acknowledge
English
Alternative forms
- acknowledg (obsolete)
- acknowelege (obsolete)
Etymology
Recorded since 1553, a blend of Middle English knowlechen (“to discover, reveal, acknowledge”) and aknowen (“to recognize, acknowledge”); the latter from Old English oncn?wan, ?cn?wan (“to know, recognize, acknowledge”), from on + cn?wan (“to know”). Notice the preservation of /k/ word-internally (regularly spelled with ck as in back) while being lost word-initially. The prefix might have been influenced by Anglo-Norman a- (“on-, to-”). See knowledge.
For the formation compare Latin agn?sc? and Russian ????????? (priznát?), with cognate roots.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /?k?n?.l?d?/
- (US) IPA(key): /æk?n??.l?d?/, [?k?n??l?d?], [?k?n??l?d?], [???n??l?d?], [???n??l?d?]
- Hyphenation US: ac?knowl?edge, UK: ac?know?ledge
Verb
acknowledge (third-person singular simple present acknowledges, present participle acknowledging, simple past and past participle acknowledged)
- (transitive) To admit the knowledge of; to recognize as a fact or truth; to declare one's belief in
- 1611, King James Version, Psalm 51:3
- I acknowledge my transgressions.
- 1849, Thomas Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James II, Chapter 1
- For ends generally acknowledged to be good.
- 1611, King James Version, Psalm 51:3
- To own or recognize in a particular quality, character or relationship; to admit the claims or authority of; to give recognition to.
- 1611, King James Version, Proverbs 3:6
- In all thy ways acknowledge Him.
- c. 1595, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, III-v
- By my soul, I'll ne'er acknowledge thee.
- 1611, King James Version, Proverbs 3:6
- To be grateful of (e.g. a benefit or a favour)
- To report (the receipt of a message to its sender).
- To own as genuine or valid; to assent to (a legal instrument) to give it validity; to avow or admit in legal form.
Usage notes
- Acknowledge is opposed to keep back, or conceal, and supposes that something had been previously known to us (though perhaps not to others) which we now feel bound to lay open or make public. Thus, a man acknowledges a secret marriage; one who has done wrong acknowledges his fault; and author acknowledges his obligation to those who have aided him; we acknowledge our ignorance.
- Recognize supposes that we have either forgotten or not had the evidence of a thing distinctly before our minds, but that now we know it (as it were) anew, or receive and admit it on the grounds of the evidence it brings. Thus, we recognize a friend after a long absence. We recognize facts, principles, truths, etc., when their evidence is brought up fresh to the mind. A foreign minister, consul, or agent, of any kind, is recognized on the ground of his producing satisfactory credentials.
- See also confess
Synonyms
- avow, proclaim, recognize, own, admit, allow, concede, confess
Derived terms
Related terms
- acknowledgment
Translations
References
- acknowledge in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
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profess
English
Etymology
From Old French professer, and its source, the participle stem of Latin profit?r?, from pro- + fat?r? (“to confess, acknowledge”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /p???f?s/
- Rhymes: -?s
Verb
profess (third-person singular simple present professes, present participle professing, simple past and past participle professed)
- (transitive) To administer the vows of a religious order to (someone); to admit to a religious order. (Chiefly in passive.) [from 14th c.]
- 2000, Butler's Lives of the Saints, p.118:
- This swayed the balance decisively in Mary's favour, and she was professed on 8 September 1578.
- 2000, Butler's Lives of the Saints, p.118:
- (reflexive) To declare oneself (to be something). [from 16th c.]
- 2011, Alex Needham, The Guardian, 9 Dec.:
- Kiefer professes himself amused by the fuss that ensued when he announced that he was buying the Mülheim-Kärlich reactor […].
- 2011, Alex Needham, The Guardian, 9 Dec.:
- (transitive, intransitive) To declare; to assert, affirm. [from 16th c.]
- c. 1604, William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, First Folio 1623:
- He professes to haue receiued no sinister measure from his Iudge, but most willingly humbles himselfe to the determination of Iustice […].
- 1974, ‘The Kansas Kickbacks’, Time, 11 Feb 1974:
- The Governor immediately professed that he knew nothing about the incident.
- c. 1604, William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, First Folio 1623:
- (transitive) To make a claim (to be something); to lay claim to (a given quality, feeling etc.), often with connotations of insincerity. [from 16th c.]
- 2010, Hélène Mulholland, The Guardian, 28 Sep 2010:
- Ed Miliband professed ignorance of the comment when he was approached by the BBC later.
- 2010, Hélène Mulholland, The Guardian, 28 Sep 2010:
- (transitive) To declare one's adherence to (a religion, deity, principle etc.). [from 16th c.]
- 1983, Alexander Mcleish, The Frontier Peoples of India, Mittal Publications 1984, p.122:
- The remainder of the population, about two-thirds, belongs to the Mongolian race and professes Buddhism.
- 1983, Alexander Mcleish, The Frontier Peoples of India, Mittal Publications 1984, p.122:
- (transitive) To work as a professor of; to teach. [from 16th c.]
- (transitive, now rare) To claim to have knowledge or understanding of (a given area of interest, subject matter). [from 16th c.]
Translations
Further reading
- profess in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- profess in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
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