Concessions

How to spell concessions

11 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce concessions

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does concessions mean?

1. nounThings granted or yielded to another party, especially as compromises in a negotiation or dispute.
2. nounReduced prices or rates offered to particular groups such as students, seniors, or children.
3. nounRights granted to operate a business or sell goods on someone else's premises, or the stalls run under such rights.

Concessions in a sentence

• Both sides made several concessions before signing the agreement.

• The museum offers concessions for students and pensioners.

• The airport awarded the catering concessions to a new firm.

• The union won valuable concessions on overtime pay.

• Theatre tickets are cheaper if you qualify for concessions.

• Food and drink at the stadium are sold through several concessions.

Where does concessions come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb concedere, which meant 'to yield' or 'to give way', built from the intensive prefix con- and the verb cedere, meaning 'to go' or 'to yield'. The Romans formed the noun concessio to describe the act of granting or conceding something, and that sense of stepping back and allowing another party to have their way carried straight into the modern meaning. English took the word in through Old French concession during the 1400s, keeping the soft middle and the double-s that betrays the cedere root. The very same cedere lives on in a whole family of relatives, such as 'recede', 'proceed', and 'cede' itself, and recognising that shared cess element is the best way to remember the double s in the middle. Over time the word branched out from negotiation into commerce, naming both the reduced prices granted to certain customers and the trading rights granted to run a stall or franchise.

How the word is built

• con- (together, fully)
• cess (from cedere: to yield, give way)
• -ion (noun of action)
• -s (plural)