What does admittance mean?
Admittance is a formal noun denoting permission or the right to enter a place, as well as the act of admitting someone into it. It appears most often in institutional and regulatory contexts: signs reading 'No Admittance,' rules governing who may gain admittance to secure facilities, and policies restricting admittance to members or staff. The word carries a slightly authoritative, bureaucratic tone that distinguishes it from its close relative 'admission,' which covers a broader range of meanings including acceptance into schools, hospitals, and events. A visitor might be granted admission to a university yet still be denied admittance to its library stacks after hours. Derived from the Latin verb 'admittere,' meaning to allow to come or go in, admittance entered English in the early seventeenth century and has retained its association with thresholds, boundaries, and controlled access ever since — making it a precise and useful term whenever entry itself, rather than acceptance, is at issue.
nounThe act or process of admitting someone to a place, organization, or institution; also, permission or the right to enter.
- Permission or the right to enter a place ('No admittance beyond this point').
- The physical act of admitting or allowing someone into a building, room, or area.
"Admittance to the laboratory is restricted to authorized personnel only."
"Visitors must obtain a security badge before gaining admittance to the facility."
"The sign on the gate read simply: 'Private Property — No Admittance.'"
Rarely used in the plural; the singular form is standard even when referring to multiple instances of entry.
"The log recorded all admittances to the restricted wing overnight."
That stern 'NO ADMITTANCE' sign on the door? It's been keeping people out with the same Latinate authority for over four hundred years.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of admittance
Admittance derives from the Latin verb 'admittere' (from 'ad-' meaning 'to' or 'toward', plus 'mittere' meaning 'to send'), which passed into English through Anglo-Norman and Old French as 'admit'. The noun admittance was formed in English in the early seventeenth century, likely modeled on words such as 'abundance' and 'acquaintance'. It shares its root with related nouns like 'admission' and verbs such as 'commit' and 'transmit', all descendants of the prolific Latin 'mittere'.
How admittance is actually used
Admittance is somewhat formal in register and is most frequently encountered in institutional contexts — signs, regulations, and official notices — where it often carries an authoritative or restrictive tone. In everyday speech, 'entry' or 'getting in' is more common; 'admission' is preferred when referring to acceptance into organizations, schools, or paid events.
Easily confused with admittance
Admission refers more broadly to being allowed entry or accepted (as into a school, hospital, or event), while admittance typically emphasizes physical entry into a place and often appears in formal notices such as 'No Admittance'.