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Acquaintance vs Known - What's the difference?

acquaintance | known |

As nouns the difference between acquaintance and known

is that acquaintance is (uncountable) a state of being acquainted, or of having intimate, or more than slight or superficial, knowledge; personal knowledge gained by intercourse short of that of friendship or intimacy while known is in algebra, a variable or constant whose value is already determined.

As an adjective known is

identified as a specific type; renowned, famous.

As a verb known is

.

acquaintance

English

(Webster 1913)

Alternative forms

* acquaintaunce

Noun

(en noun)
  • (uncountable) A state of being acquainted, or of having intimate, or more than slight or superficial, knowledge; personal knowledge gained by intercourse short of that of friendship or intimacy
    • I know of the man; but have no acquaintance with him.
  • * 1799 , '', in ''The Works , Volume 6, page 22:
    • Contract no friend?hip, or even acquaintance , with a guileful man : he re?embles a coal, which when hot burneth the hand, and when cold blacketh it.
  • (countable) A person or persons with whom one is acquainted.
  • * 1848 , , Chapter XVI:
    • Montgomery was an old acquaintance of Ferguson.

    Usage notes

    * Synonym notes: The words acquaintance , familiarity, and intimacy mark different degrees of closeness in social intercourse. Acquaintance arises from occasional intercourse; as, our acquaintance has been a brief one. We can speak of a slight or an intimate acquaintance. Familiarity is the result of continued acquaintance. It springs from persons being frequently together, so as to wear off all restraint and reserve; as, the familiarity of old companions. Intimacy is the result of close connection, and the freest interchange of thought; as, the intimacy of established friendship.

    Synonyms

    * familiarity, fellowship, intimacy, knowledge * See also

    Derived terms

    * nodding acquaintance

    Related terms

    * acquaint

    References

    * *

    known

    English

    Adjective

  • identified as a specific type; renowned, famous.
  • * He was a known pickpocket.
  • ed, accepted, familiar.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author= Stephen P. Lownie], [http://www.americanscientist.org/authors/detail/david-m-pelz David M. Pelz
    • , magazine=(American Scientist), title= Stents to Prevent Stroke , passage=As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels. The reason plaque forms isn’t entirely known , but it seems to be related to high levels of cholesterol inducing an inflammatory response, which can also attract and trap more cellular debris over time.}}

    Antonyms

    * unknown

    Verb

    (head)

    • External links

    * (know)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • In algebra, a variable or constant whose value is already determined.
  • Any fact or situation which is known or familiar.
  • * 2012 , Thomas Dougherty, Antibiotic Discovery and Development (volume 1, page 39)
    • The biological dereplication tool may identify major knowns in a mixture, but it may miss novel minor components.

    Statistics

    * English irregular past participles