accomplish

/əˈkɒmplɪʃ/uh-KOM-plish

/əˈkɑmplɪʃ/uh-KAHM-plish

Meaningto fill up

Common meaning: to complete

acto, towardsSkeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), p. 6 · scan
complishto fill upSkeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), p. 126 · scan

‘to, towards’ + ‘to fill up’ → accomplish

Journey through time

ac — Latin ad- “to, towards” (path traced)
complish — Latin complere “to fill up” (path traced)

Parts join in Old French as acomplir.

Latinad- + complere‘to, towards + to fill up’source
Old Frenchacomplirsource
Middle Englishaccomplisensource
Englishaccomplish‘to complete’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old French acomplir, which Skeat analyses as ad- ‘to, towards’ + complere ‘to fill up’.

Roots

acomplir Old French “to fill up”
complere Latin “to fill up”

Related words

compliment comply

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