Dictionary

accredit

verb ac·cred·it \ə-ˈkre-dət\

: to say that something is good enough to be given official approval

: to give (someone) credit for something

: to send (someone, such as an ambassador) to act as an official representative

Full Definition of ACCREDIT

transitive verb
1
:  to give official authorization to or approval of:
a :  to provide with credentials; especially :  to send (an envoy) with letters of authorization
b :  to recognize or vouch for as conforming with a standard
c :  to recognize (an educational institution) as maintaining standards that qualify the graduates for admission to higher or more specialized institutions or for professional practice
2
:  to consider or recognize as outstanding
3
ac·cred·i·table \-də-tə-bəl\ adjective
ac·cred·i·ta·tion \ə-ˌkre-də-ˈtā-shən, -ˈdā-\ noun
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Origin of ACCREDIT

Latin accreditus, past participle of accredere to give credence to, from ad- + credere to believe — more at creed
First Known Use: 1535

Synonym Discussion of ACCREDIT

approve, endorse, sanction, accredit, certify mean to have or express a favorable opinion of. approve often implies no more than this but may suggest considerable esteem or admiration <the parents approve of the marriage>. endorse suggests an explicit statement of support <publicly endorsed her for Senator>. sanction implies both approval and authorization <the President sanctioned covert operations>. accredit and certify usually imply official endorsement attesting to conformity to set standards <the board voted to accredit the college> <must be certified to teach>.

Other Education Terms

baccalaureate, colloquium, corequisite, dissertation, monograph, pedant, practicum, survey course, thesis

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