/ əˈkweɪntəns; NAmE / noun
1.
[ C ] a person that you know but who is not a close friend :
Claire has a wide circle of friends and acquaintances .
He's just a business acquaintance.
2.
[ U , C ] acquaintance (with sb) ( formal ) slight friendship :
He hoped their acquaintance would develop further.
3.
[ U , C ] acquaintance with sth ( formal ) knowledge of sth :
I had little acquaintance with modern poetry.
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IDIOMS
- make sb's acquaintance | make the acquaintance of sb
- of your acquaintance
- on first acquaintance
—more at nod verb
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense mutual knowledge, being acquainted ): from Old French acointance , from acointier make known, from late Latin accognitare , from Latin accognoscere , from ad- to + cognoscere come to know.