acquiesce

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French acquiescer, from Latin acquiescere; ad + quiescere (“to be quiet”), from quies (“rest”).

verb

  1. (intransitive, with in (or sometimes with, to)) To rest satisfied, or apparently satisfied, or to rest without opposition and discontent (usually implying previous opposition or discontent); to accept or consent by silence or by omitting to object.
    The representatives of the good people of this commonwealth in general assembly convened, having maturely considered the answers of sundry states in the Union, to their resolutions passed at the last session, respecting certain unconstitutional laws of Congress, commonly called the alien and sedition laws, would be faithless indeed to themselves, and to those they represent, were they silently to acquiesce in principles and doctrines attempted to be maintained in all those answers, that of Virginia only excepted. 1799, Thomas Jefferson, The Kentucky Resolution of 1799
    They were compelled to acquiesce in a government which they did not regard as just. 1846, Thomas De Quincey, “On Christianity, as an Organ of Political Movement”, in Tait's Magazine
    If a minority, in such case, will secede rather than acquiesce, they make a precedent which, in turn, will divide and ruin them; for a minority of their own will secede from them whenever a majority refuses to be controlled by such minority. 4 March 1861, Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address
  2. (intransitive) To concur upon conviction; to assent to; usually, to concur, not heartily but so far as to forbear opposition.
    to acquiesce in an opinion
    I entirely acquiesce in all the observations you make in your letter; they are worthy of your heart and understanding; 1794, Charlotte Smith, chapter 16, in The Banished Man, volume II
    I may be forced to acquiesce in these recent developments, but I can hardly be expected to make merry over them. 1891, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Speckled Band
    Langdon could tell there would be no deterring her and so he acquiesced, turning his attention back to the pyramid. 2009, Dan Brown, chapter 70, in The Lost Symbol
    The episode also opens with an inspired bit of business for Homer, who blithely refuses to acquiesce to an elderly neighbor’s utterly reasonable request that he help make the process of selling her house easier by wearing pants when he gallivants about in front of windows, throw out his impressive collection of rotting Jack-O-Lanterns from previous Halloweens and take out his garbage, as it’s attracting wildlife (cue moose and Northern Exposure theme song). May 27, 2012, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club
    So I acquiesce, I say "alright, I'll work Ryback", and I go up to Ryan, "hey man, clean slate" November 26, 2014, CM Punk, “Episode 226: CM Punk” (1 hour 5 minutes 50 seconds from the start), in Art of Wrestling
    The job of His Majesty's Opposition - especially as election time looms - is to provide well-worked-out alternatives to government plans, not to acquiesce in what could prove to be a disastrous policy for rail passengers. March 8 2023, Christian Wolmar, “Labour passes up the chance to deliver a forceful rail policy”, in RAIL, number 978, page 35

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