Ac-quāint'ance, n.

n. [Fr. acquaintance, Pr. acoindansa. See ACQUAINT.] 1. A state of being acquainted, or of having intimate or more than slight or superficial knowledge; familiar knowledge; as, I know the man, but have no acquaintance with him. Contract no friendship, or even acquaintance, with a guileful man. Sir W. Jones. 2. A person or persons well known. Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and my acquaintance into darkness. Ps. lxxxviii. 18. My acquaintance are estranged from me. Job xix. 13. In this sense the word admits a plural: acquaintance and acquaintances are both in use. To be of acquaintance, to be intimate. [Obs.] Syn.—Familiarity; intimacy; fellowship; knowledge.—ACQUAINTANCE, FAMILIARITY, INTIMACY. These words mark different degrees of closeness in social intercourse. Acquaintance arises from occasional intercourse; as, our acquaintance has been a brief one. Familiarity springs from persons being frequently together, so as to wear off all restraint and reserve; as, the familiarity of old companions. Intimacy is the result of close connection, and the freest interchange of thought; as, the intimacy of established friendship. Our admiration of a famous man lessens upon our nearer acquaintance with him. Addison. We contract at last such a familiarity with them as makes it difficult and irksome for us to call off our minds. Atterbury. It is in our power to confine our friendships and intimacies to men of virtue. Rogers.