accomplish

English

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for accomplish in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)

Etymology

From Middle English accomplisshen, acomplissen, from Old French acompliss-, extended stem of acomplir (Modern French accomplir), from a- (“to”) (from Latin ad) + complir (or possibly through a Vulgar Latin root *accomplīre), from Vulgar Latin *complīre, from Latin complēre (“to fill up, fill out, complete”); see complete.

First attested in the late 14th century.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈkʌm.plɪʃ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /əˈkɒm.plɪʃ/
• (General New Zealand, General Australian) IPA^(key): /əˈkɐm.plɪʃ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: a‧ccom‧plish

Verb

accomplish (third-person singular simple present accomplishes, present participle accomplishing, simple past and past participle accomplished)

1. (transitive) To finish successfully.
2. (transitive) To complete, as time or distance.
   • 1611, King James Version, Daniel 9:2

     That He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

   • 1856-1858, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Philip II

     He had accomplished half a league or more.

3. (transitive) To execute fully; to fulfill; to complete successfully.

   to accomplish a design, an object, a promise

   • 1611, King James Version, Luke 22:37

     This that is written must yet be accomplished in me

4. (transitive, archaic) To equip or furnish thoroughly; hence, to complete in acquirements; to render accomplished; to polish.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]:

     The armorers accomplishing the knights

   • 1638, John Wilkins, The Discovery of a World in the Moone

     It [the moon] is fully accomplished for all those ends to which Providence did appoint it.

   • 1863, Charles Cowden Clarke, Shakespeare's Characters

     These qualities . . . go to accomplish a perfect woman.

5. (transitive, obsolete) To gain; to obtain.
   • c. 1591, Shakespeare, William, Henry VI, Part 3, act 3, scene 2, lines 151–152:

     And more unlikely / Than to accomplish twenty golden crowns!

6. (transitive, Philippine English) to fill out a form

Synonyms

• do, perform, fulfill, realize, effect, effectuate, complete, consummate, execute, achieve, perfect, equip, furnish, carry out

Derived terms

• accomplishment

Related terms

• complete
• comply

Translations

to finish successfully

• Arabic: أَدَّى‎ (ʾaddā)
• Belarusian: дасяга́ць impf (dasjahácʹ), дасягну́ць pf (dasjahnúcʹ)
• Bulgarian: осъществявам (bg) (osǎštestvjavam)
• Danish: fuldende
• Dutch: volbrengen (nl)
• Finnish: suorittaa (fi), toteuttaa (fi), saada tehdyksi, saattaa päätökseen, saada aikaan
• French: accomplir (fr)
• Galician: conseguir (gl)
• German: vollenden (de) vollziehen (de), ausführen (de)
• Greek: επιτυγχάνω (el) (epityncháno)

  Ancient: διαπράσσω (diaprássō)

• Hebrew: לבצע‎
• Hittite: 𒀸𒊭𒉡𒊻𒍣 (hit) (aššanuzzi)
• Italian: compiere (it), realizzare (it)
• Kabuverdianu: alkansa, alkansá
• Latin: patrō, perpetrō, peragō
• Maori: whakatutuki

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fullbyrde (no), fullende, effektuere

• Old English: fremman (ang)
• Old Saxon: fremmian, frummian, gifrummian
• Polish: dokonywać (pl), dokonać (pl)
• Portuguese: conseguir (pt) (with verb)
• Russian: ^{(please verify)} соверша́ть (ru) impf (soveršátʹ), ^{(please verify)} соверши́ть (ru) impf (soveršítʹ), ^{(please verify)} выполня́ть (ru) impf (vypolnjátʹ), ^{(please verify)} вы́полнить (ru) pf (výpolnitʹ), ^{(please verify)} достига́ть (ru) impf (dostigátʹ), ^{(please verify)} дости́гнуть (ru) pf (dostígnutʹ), ^{(please verify)} дости́чь (ru) impf (dostíčʹ), ^{(please verify)} заверша́ть (ru) impf (zaveršátʹ), ^{(please verify)} заверши́ть (ru) pf (zaveršítʹ), ^{(please verify)} доводи́ть до конца́ impf (dovodítʹ do koncá) , ^{(please verify)} довести́ до конца́ pf (dovestí do koncá)
• Sanskrit: साध्नोति (sa) (sādhnoti)
• Spanish: efectuar (es), realizar (es), lograr (es)
• Swedish: fullborda (sv)

to complete, as time or distance

• Bulgarian: завършвам (bg) (zavǎršvam)
• Danish: fuldende
• Finnish: suorittaa (fi), saavuttaa (fi)
• French: accomplir (fr)
• Galician: completar (gl)
• German: vollenden (de)

• Italian: completare (it), trascorrere (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fullføre, fullende

• Russian: заверша́ть (ru) impf (zaveršátʹ), заверши́ть (ru) pf (zaveršítʹ)
• Spanish: completar (es)

to bring to an issue of full success; to effect; to perform

• Bulgarian: извършвам (bg) (izvǎršvam), осъществявам (bg) (osǎštestvjavam)
• Danish: fuldende
• Dutch: volbrengen (nl)
• Finnish: suorittaa (fi), saavuttaa (fi)
• French: accomplir (fr)
• German: vollenden (de)

• Italian: concretizzare (it)
• Maori: whakatutuki
• Ngazidja Comorian: utekeleza
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: sluttføre, avstedkomme (no), utrette

• Portuguese: concretizar (pt)
• Russian: осуществля́ть (ru) impf (osuščestvljátʹ), осуществи́ть (ru) pf (osuščestvítʹ)
• Swedish: åstadkomma (sv), uträtta (sv)

(archaic) to equip or furnish thoroughly

• Danish: fuldende
• Finnish: varustaa (fi)

• German: vollenden (de)
• Italian: rifinire (it)

(obsolete) to gain; to obtain

• Finnish: hankkia (fi)
• Italian: ottenere (it)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: opptjene

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} menyelesaikan (id)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} complir (ia), ^{(please verify)} realisar

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} compire (it)
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 完成させる (ja) (かんせいさせる, kansei-saseru) , ^{(please verify)} 成し遂げる (ja) (なしとげる, nashitogeru), ^{(please verify)} 完了させる (ja) (かんりょうさせる, kanryō-saseru)

Further reading

• accomplish at OneLook Dictionary Search
• accomplish in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• accomplish in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.