Achieved

How to spell achieved

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce achieved

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does achieved mean?

1. verbSuccessfully reached or brought about a goal, result, or standard through effort.

Achieved in a sentence

• The team achieved record sales in the final quarter.

• She achieved a distinction in every subject she studied.

Where does achieved come from?

Language of origin: French

This word descends from the Old French verb achever, meaning 'to bring to a head' or 'to finish', which English borrowed in the 1300s. The French verb was built from the phrase venir a chief, literally 'to come to a head', where chief came from the Latin caput, meaning 'head'. So to achieve something was originally to bring it to its head or conclusion, a sense that softened over time into the modern idea of successfully reaching a goal. The same caput root sits inside everyday relatives like 'chief', 'chapter', and 'captain', all carrying the notion of a head or leader. The spelling trap lives in the middle: the vowels follow the 'i before e' pattern, giving achie-, and the final -ed marks it as a completed, past action.

How the word is built

• a- (to, from Latin ad)
• chiev (head/end, from Old French chief)
• -ed (past tense suffix)