acquittance means A writing which is evidence of a discharge; a receipt in full, which bars a further demand. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 86 out of 100.
Why this word is great
ACQUITTANCE — [Noun] A formal written discharge from a debt or obligation, serving as both a receipt and a legal bar to any future claim. From Anglo-Norman acquitance, Middle French aquitance, from acquiter ("to acquit, to settle"), with the suffix -ance denoting an action or result. Unlike "acquittal," which absolves one of blame in a court of law, or a simple "receipt," which merely acknowledges a transaction, an acquittance is the definitive, bureaucratic extinction of a financial bond. It is the brittle, wax-sealed parchment handed over a counting-house desk; the notarized line scrawled at the bottom of a yellowed bond; the carbon-copy slip filed in a steel cabinet—a small, paper monument to the quiet satisfaction of a balance finally struck, where a weight becomes weightless, leaving behind a perfect and sterile zero.
noun
- A writing which is evidence of a discharge; a receipt in full, which bars a further demand.“You can produce acquittances / For such a sum, from special officers.”
- Payment of debt; settlement.
- The release from a debt, or from some obligation or duty; exemption.
- The dismissal of a legal charge against someone; acquittal.“This was a task more difficult than that of self acquittance.”
- The acquittal of one's duties; the carrying out of fulfilment of a job or role.