3 definitions found
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Acquaintance \Ac*quaint"ance\, n. [OE. aqueintance OF
acointance fr acointier See {Acquaint}.]
1. A state of being acquainted, or of having intimate, or
more than slight or superficial, knowledge; personal
knowledge gained by intercourse short of that of
friendship or intimacy; as I know the man; but have no
acquaintance with him
Contract no friendship, or even acquaintance, with a
guileful man. --Sir W.
Jones.
2. A person or persons with whom one is acquainted.
Montgomery was an old acquaintance of Ferguson.
--Macaulay.
Note: In this sense the collective term acquaintance was
formerly both singular and plural, but it is now
commonly singular, and has the regular plural
acquaintances.
{To be of acquaintance}, to be intimate.
{To take acquaintance of} or {with}, to make the acquaintance
of [Obs.]
Syn: Familiarity; intimacy; fellowship; knowledge.
Usage: {Acquaintance}, {Familiarity}, {Intimacy}. These words
mark different degrees of closeness in social
intercourse. Acquaintance arises from occasional
intercourse; as our acquaintance has been a brief
one We can speak of a slight or an intimate
acquaintance. Familiarity is the result of continued
acquaintance. It springs from persons being frequently
together, so as to wear off all restraint and reserve;
as the familiarity of old companions. Intimacy is the
result of close connection, and the freest interchange
of thought; as the intimacy of established
friendship.
Our admiration of a famous man lessens upon our
nearer acquaintance with him --Addison.
We contract at last such a familiarity with them
as makes it difficult and irksome for us to call
off our minds. --Atterbury.
It is in our power to confine our friendships
and intimacies to men of virtue. --Rogers.
From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]:
acquaintance
n 1: personal knowledge or information about someone or something
[syn: {familiarity}, {conversance}, {conversancy}]
2: a relationship less intimate than friendship [syn: {acquaintanceship}]
3: a person with whom you are acquainted; "I have trouble
remembering the names of all my acquaintances"; "we are
friends of the family" [syn: {friend}]
From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:
ACQUAINTANCE, n. A person whom we know well enough to borrow from
but not well enough to lend to A degree of friendship called slight
when its object is poor or obscure, and intimate when he is rich or
famous.
more about acquaintance
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