Admission: The two senses of 'admission'… | etymologist.ai
admission
/ədˈmɪʃ.ən/·noun·c. 1450·Established
Origin
From Latin 'admittere' (to send toward) — the dual sense of entry and confession both mean letting something in.
Definition
The process or fact of entering or being allowed to enter a place, organization, or institution; an acknowledgment that something is true.
The Full Story
Latin15th centurywell-attested
From Latin 'admissiōnem' (accusative of 'admissiō,' a letting in, an audience with a superior, permission to approach), from 'admissus' (let in, admitted), past participle of 'admittere' (to send to, to let in, to allow to enter), composed of 'ad-' (to, toward) + 'mittere' (to send, to let go, to release). ThePIE origin of 'mittere' is debatedbut may relate to *smit- or *meit- (to send, to throw). Latin 'mittere' is among the most productive verbs in the language, generating through its prefixed forms an enormous English
Did you know?
Thetwosenses of 'admission' — entering a place and confessing a truth — are connected by the metaphor of allowing access. When youmake an admission (confession), you areletting someone into knowledge you had kept out. The same dual meaning exists in 'admit': 'The door
: 'commit' (to send together, to entrust), 'emit' (to send out), 'omit' (to let go, to neglect), 'permit' (to send through, to allow), 'remit' (to send back), 'submit' (to send under, to yield), 'transmit' (to send across), 'dismiss' (to send away), 'missile' (something sent), 'mission' (a sending), and 'message' (something sent). The literal sense of 'admission' was 'a sending toward' a place —
mittere(Latin (to send, to let go))admission(French (admission, entry))ammissione(Italian (admission))admisión(Spanish (admission))missio(Latin (a sending, release))