different between vouchsafe vs admit

English

Etymology

vouch +? safe, written as two words in Middle English and early Modern English.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /?va?t??se?f/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): [?v??t??se?f]
• Rhymes: -e?f
• Hyphenation: vouch?safe

Verb

vouchsafe (third-person singular simple present vouchsafes, present participle vouchsafing, simple past and past participle vouchsafed)

1. To graciously give, to condescendingly grant a right, benefit, outcome, etc.; to deign to acknowledge.
2. To receive or accept in condescension.
   • 1913 Eleanor Porter: Pollyanna: Chapter 8:

     Nancy's lips parted abruptly, as if there were angry words all ready to come; but her eyes, resting on Pollyanna's jubilantly trustful face, saw something that prevented the words being spoken.
     "Humph!" she vouchsafed. Then, showing her old-time interest, she went on: "But, say, it is queer, his speakin' to you, honestly, Miss Pollyanna. He don't speak ter no one; and he lives all alone in a great big lovely house all full of jest grand things, they say. Some says he's crazy, and some jest cross; and some says he's got a skeleton in his closet."

3. To disclose or divulge.

   She vouchsafed to me that she regretted ever marrying him.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:vouchsafe.

Synonyms

• deign

Related terms

• vouchsafement
• vouchsafing

Translations

English

Etymology

From Middle English admitten, amitten, borrowed from Old French admettre, amettre (“to admit”), from Latin admitt? (“to allow entrance, inlet”, literally “to send to”), from ad- + mittere (“to send”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?d?m?t/
• Rhymes: -?t

Verb

admit (third-person singular simple present admits, present participle admitting, simple past and past participle admitted)

1. (transitive) To allow to enter; to grant entrance (to), whether into a place, into the mind, or into consideration

2. (transitive) To allow (someone) to enter a profession or to enjoy a privilege; to recognize as qualified for a franchise.

3. (transitive) To concede as true; to acknowledge or assent to, as an allegation which it is impossible to deny
   • 2011, Kitty Kelley, Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography (?ISBN):

     His sister, Patti, also admitted taking drugs, […]

   Synonyms: own up, confess

4. (transitive) To be capable of; to permit. In this sense, "of" may be used after the verb, or may be omitted.
5. (intransitive) To give warrant or allowance, to grant opportunity or permission (+ of).

6. (transitive) To allow to enter a hospital or similar facility for treatment.

Usage notes

In the sense "concede to be true", this is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing). See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Synonyms

• (to allow entry to): inlet, let in
• (to recognise as true): acknowledge, own

Derived terms

Related terms

• admissible
• admission
• mission

Translations

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ad.mi/

Verb

admit

1. third-person singular past historic of admettre