acquiesce

Where does the word "acquiesce" come from? It comes from Latin quies, passing through Latin before entering English (1600s).

Acquiesce’s story begins in Latin: quies meant “rest, repose.” Rest, repose, giving rise to quiescere (to become quiet, to rest). Within Latin, it grew into acquiescere by ancient. To find rest in, to comply, from ad- and quiescere. It reached English by 1600s as acquiesce. First recorded in 1613 in the writing of the Scottish churchman Patrick Forbes, by way of French 'acquiescer'. Today, acquiesce means to accept or comply with something without protest, though not necessarily with enthusiasm.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient quies "rest, repose", rest, repose, giving rise to quiescere (to become quiet, to rest).
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient acquiescere "to find rest in, to comply", to find rest in, to comply, from ad- and quiescere.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1600s acquiesce "to accept something without protest, though not enthusiastically", first recorded in 1613 in the writing of the Scottish churchman Patrick Forbes, by way of French 'acquiescer'.