admit

Where does the word "admit" come from? It comes from Latin admittere, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Admit’s story begins in Latin: admittere meant “to allow in.” To send to, to allow in, from ad- (to) and mittere (to send). It reached English by 1400s as admit. First recorded around 1410 in an English translation of Ranulf Higden's Latin chronicle, the 'Polychronicon'. Today, admit means to allow someone to enter, or to confess that something is true.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient admittere "to allow in", to send to, to allow in, from ad- (to) and mittere (to send).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s admit "to allow entry, or to acknowledge something as true", first recorded around 1410 in an English translation of Ranulf Higden's Latin chronicle, the 'Polychronicon'.