[a. OFr. acceptance, f. accepter; see ACCEPT and -ANCE.]
1. The act or fact of accepting, or taking what is offered, whether as a pleasure, a satisfaction of claim, or a duty.
1596. Spenser, State of Irel. (J.). By the acceptance of his sovereignty, they also accepted of his laws.
1607. Shaks., Coriol., II. iii. 9. If he tel vs his Noble deeds, we must also tell him our Noble acceptance of them.
1667. Milton, P. L., V. 531. Our voluntarie service he requires, Not our necessitated, such with him Findes no acceptance.
a. 1764. R. Lloyd, The Poet, Wks. 1774, II. 21. The mob his kind acceptance begs Of dirt, and stones, and addle-eggs.
1876. Freeman, Norm. Conq., II. App. 531. William or his advisers may … have pressed the acceptance of the crown on Eadward.
2. esp. Favorable reception. a. Of persons.
1596. Shaks., Merch. Ven., IV. i. 164. I neuer knewe so yong a body, with so old a head. I leaue him to your gracious acceptance.
1611. Cotgr., Malgrace … bad acceptance, ill opinion.
1814. Southey, Roderick, vii. Wks. IX. 71. That vow hath been pronounced … whereby we stand for condemnation or acceptance.
1882. Daily Tel., March 9. The vocalist … sang with marked acceptance.
b. Of things: Favorable consideration, approval; and hence, of statements, theories, etc.: Mental assent, belief.
1669. Pepys, Diary (1877), V. 452. It did meet with the Duke of York’s acceptance & well-liking.
1779. Newton, Bk. of Praise (Gold. Tr. Ser.), 52. By Thee my prayers acceptance gain Although with sin defiled.
1794. Sullivan, View of Nat., II. 230. Recommend them to the belief and acceptance of all reasonable persons.
1854. Faraday, Exp. Res., lv. 470. The assertion finds acceptance in every rank of society.
1880. Carpenter, in 19th Cent., No. 38. 602. The probability of their volcanic origin seems so strong as to justify its full acceptance.
c. Acceptance of persons: undue favor on personal grounds, partiality. See ACCEPT 2, ACCEPTION 2.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., IV. 580. A Sovereign who had sworn that he … would do justice, without acceptance of persons.
3. The state or condition of being accepted.
1649. Selden, Laws of Eng. (1739), I. v. 12. She first brought Austin into acceptance with the King.
1714. T. Ellwood, Life (1765), 72. I found acceptance with the Lord.
1745. Wesley, Answ. to Church, 17. Can we deny, That Holiness is a Condition of Final Acceptance?
4. The sense in which a word or expression is accepted or taken; understood signification. rare. (More usually ACCEPTATION 4.)
1665. South, Serm., 2. That Pleasure is mans chiefest good,… is an assertion, most certainly true, though, under the common acceptance of it, not only false, but odious.
1857. S. Osborn, Quedah, xvii. 237. Neither Jadee nor I were sportsmen in the proper acceptance of the word.
5. The quality of being accepted or acceptable; acceptableness, agreeableness.
1593. Marlowe, Dido, III. iii. 926. Love and duty led him on perhaps To press beyond acceptance to your sight.
1666. South, Serm., Tit. ii. 15, Wks. 1715, I. 197. Some Men cannot be Fools with so good Acceptance as others.
1868. Browning, Ring & Bk., 837. The Canon! We caress him … A man of such acceptance.
6. Comm. (See ACCEPT v. 5.) a. The act of formally accepting the liability to pay a bill of exchange when due; the formal engagement to pay it. b. The bill itself when ‘accepted’ by A. B. is termed A. B.’s Acceptance.
1682. J. Scarlett, Stile of Exch., 59. Acceptance must be demanded of him only, to whom the Bill is directed.
1865. Trafford (Mrs. Riddell), G. Geith, II. ii. 30. There is scarcely a business man in London the aim and object of whose life is not to get his acceptances into circulation.
1866. Crump, Banking, v. 117. Acceptance … signifies an engagement on the part of the drawee to meet the bill in money when it falls due.
7. Law. An agreeing to the act or contract of another (as a predecessor in office or agent) by some act which amounts to a recognition or approval of the same, and binds the person in law.
1574. trans. Littleton’s Tenures, 99 b. A man shal have none advantage by suche release that shalbe againste his owne propre acceptance.
1691. Blount, Law Dict., s.v. Acceptance is … a tacite kind of agreeing to some former Act done by another, which might have been undone or avoided.
