English

Noun

achievement ‎(plural achievements)

1. The act of achieving or performing; a successful performance; accomplishment
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess:

     The original family who had begun to build a palace to rival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway, so that the actual structure which had come down to posterity retained the secret magic of a promise rather than the overpowering splendour of a great architectural achievement.

   • 2012 March-April, Terrence J. Sejnowski, “Well-connected Brains”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 171:

     Creating a complete map of the human connectome would therefore be a monumental milestone but not the end of the journey to understanding how our brains work. The achievement will transform neuroscience and serve as the starting point for asking questions we could not otherwise have answered, […].

2. A great or heroic deed or feat; something accomplished by valor or boldness
   • (Can we date this quote?), Isaac Barrow, (Please provide the title of the work):

     [The exploits] of the ancient saints […] do far surpass the most famous achievements of pagan heroes.

   • (Can we date this quote?), Thomas Babington Macaulay, (Please provide the title of the work):

     The highest achievements of the human intellect.

3. (heraldry) An escutcheon or ensign armorial; now generally applied to the funeral shield commonly called hatchment.
4. (video games) An award for completing a particular task or meeting an objective in a video game.

   Finishing the game does not give you a 100% score until you have unlocked all of the achievements.‎

Translations

External links

• achievement in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913