achieve

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achieve

/əˈt͡ʃiːv/ UK
/əˈt͡ʃiv/ US

Rhymes with -iːv

Where it comes from

From Middle English achieven, acheven (“to accomplish (something); to acquire or obtain (something); to carry out or finish (something); to succeed in (something); to happen, turn out”), from Anglo-Norman achever, achiever, Middle French achever, achiever, and Old French achever, achiever (“to accomplish (something); to finish (something); to succeed in (something)”) (modern French achever), and then from either of the following:

* Old French a- (prefix denoting addition or increase, or a change of state) + chief (“end; head”) (compare traire a chief (“to be finished”), venir a chief (“to accomplish (something)”); and Late Latin ad caput venire (“to complete (something)”)) + -er (a variant of -ier (suffix forming verbs). Chief is derived from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput (“head”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *káput (“head”), possibly from *kap- (“head”).

* Late Latin *accapāre, the present active infinitive of *accapō (“to finish”), from Latin ad- (prefix meaning ‘to’) + *capum (from caput (“head”); see further above) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs).

cognates

* Catalan acabar

* Late Latin achevare, acheviare (“to acknowledge feudal liability; to complete, end”)

* Old Occitan acabar (modern Occitan acabar)

* Portuguese acabar

* Spanish acabar

verb achieves · achieving · achieved · achieve

transitive To carry out or conclude (something, as a task) successfully; to accomplish. to achieve one’s goals
transitive To gain or obtain (a desired objective, result, etc.) through effort or skill; to succeed in attaining (an objective, result, etc.); to win. And the frenche men entred in a mong the thyckeſt of them⸝ and ſpared no more to flee thẽ [them]⸝ than they had ben dogges⸝ and ſurely they had good cauſe ſo to do. For if yͤ flemynges had achyued the priſe ouer them⸝ they had bene ſerued of the ſame ſauce.
transitive To obtain (a physical thing); to get. Mon[tano]. But good Leiutenant, is your Generall vviu'd? / [Michael] Caſ[sio]. Moſt fortunately, he hath atchieu'd a maide, / That parragons deſcription, and vvild fame: […]
obsolete, transitive To end or finish (something); to terminate; (specifically, military) to win (a battle or war). So all theſe thynges tyme acheueth and burieth, but onely trouth, the whiche (of the tyme and of all thynge that is in the tyme) triumpheth, Neyther to be fauoured of the good, nor to be perſecuted of the ylle, may be, but that ſomtyme trouthe may be ſtopped and hydde, but whan it is diſpleaſed, and
intransitive To attain a goal; to succeed in something, now especially in academic performance; (generally) to make an effort; strive. He could really achieve in school if he worked hard.
archaic, intransitive, literary Followed by to: to attain a certain position, status, etc. Spitz was a practised fighter. From Spitzbergen through the Arctic, and across Canada and the Barrens, he had held his own with all manner of dogs and achieved to mastery over them.
intransitive, obsolete To come to an end; conclude, end; also, to result, to turn out; or (uncommon) to be affected by fate in a certain way. For god knoweth⸝ and ſo doth all other good townes⸝ that ye be ĩ [in] the ryght of this warre. Wherfore all your buſynes ſhall acheue the better.

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