accession

accession — noun

1. the moment when a person formally takes up an important office, especially when

1.nounC1
Definition

the moment when a person formally takes up an important office, especially when becoming king or queen of a country.

Example

Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne happened in 1952, after her father died.

accession to the throne (royal context)

Crowds gathered in Madrid to celebrate the new king's accession.

[possessive] + accession (no preposition)

Common collocations
  • accession to the throne
  • since his accession
  • at her accession
  • on the day of accession
Synonyms
  • succession

    the order in which people inherit a title; accession is the actual moment of taking it

  • coronation

    the public ceremony, while accession is the legal start of the reign

  • enthronement

    very formal; the act of being seated on the throne

Antonyms
  • abdication

    the act of giving up the throne or office

Grammar Patterns

accession to + position

Usage Note

Almost always paired with 'to the throne' or a possessive (his/her/the new king's). Subject is typically a monarch, head of state, or, rarely, a senior office holder.

Common Mistakes

He won the accession of the throne.
He came to the throne by accession.
accession is not something you win or lose; it names the moment of starting the role.

2. the formal step by which a state becomes a member of an international body or fo

2.nounC1
Definition

the formal step by which a state becomes a member of an international body or formally adds its name to a treaty.

Example

Poland's accession to the European Union took place on 1 May 2004.

accession to + named organization

The treaty was opened to accession by any country willing to ban land mines.

open to accession (passive frame)

Common collocations
  • accession to the EU
  • accession negotiations
  • instrument of accession
  • accession treaty
  • accession talks
Synonyms
  • entry

    less formal; covers any kind of joining

  • admission

    stresses the receiving body's approval

  • adherence

    very formal; emphasises sticking to the treaty's rules

Antonyms
  • withdrawal

    leaving an organization or treaty

  • secession

    formally breaking away from a state or union

Grammar Patterns

accession to + organization

accession of + country

Usage Note

Common in EU, UN, and trade-treaty reporting. Subject is a country or state; objects are usually organizations (the EU, the WTO) or treaties. Distinguish from sense 1 by checking whether the agent is a person (sense 1) or a country (sense 2).

Common Mistakes

My company's accession to the conference.
My company's attendance at the conference.
accession is reserved for states joining treaties or international bodies, not companies attending events.

3. a country, person, or other entity that has only lately come into a club, associ

3.nounC2
Definition

a country, person, or other entity that has only lately come into a club, association, or alliance.

Example

Croatia and Bulgaria are the latest accessions to the trading bloc.

latest accessions to + group (countable plural)

Dr. Park welcomed two new accessions to the research panel at the lab dinner.

new accessions (members of a group)

Common collocations
  • latest accessions
  • recent accessions
  • new accessions to the group
Synonyms
  • newcomer

    everyday word; can be a person joining any setting

  • new member

    plain and clear; safer in most contexts

  • entrant

    stresses the act of entering a contest or group

Grammar Patterns

[recent] accession to + group

Usage Note

Countable in this sense, unlike senses 1 and 2. Used mostly of countries joining alliances; using it for individuals sounds bookish or playful.

4. a book, painting, manuscript, or similar item that has recently been taken into

4.nounC2
Definition

a book, painting, manuscript, or similar item that has recently been taken into the holdings of a museum, library, or archive.

Example

The Tate's most exciting accession this year is a small Van Gogh sketch.

[institution]'s accession (single new item)

Rare maps and old letters made up most of the library's accessions in 1995.

the library's accessions (countable plural)

Common collocations
  • recent accession
  • new accession
  • accession number
  • the museum's accessions
  • library accession
Synonyms
  • acquisition

    broader; covers any new item, including those bought by individuals

  • addition

    everyday word; works for any collection, big or small

Antonyms
  • deaccession

    the formal removal of an item from a museum's collection

Grammar Patterns

[museum/library]'s accessions

Usage Note

Almost exclusive to museum, library, and archive contexts. Frequently appears in the fixed phrase 'accession number' (the ID written on each new item).

Common Mistakes

I bought a new accession for my book collection.
I bought a new addition for my book collection.
for personal collections, use 'addition' or 'acquisition'; 'accession' belongs in institutional settings.

accession — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All five words describe a country joining an international body, but they differ sharply in scope and tone. 'Accession' is the formal legal word: the moment a state's signature becomes binding under a treaty, as in 'Poland's accession to the EU in 2004'. 'Admission' shifts the focus to the receiving body's decision to let the country in, often after a vote, as in 'the UN's admission of South Sudan'. 'Entry' is the broadest and least formal of the group, useful in news headlines like 'Sweden's entry into NATO'. 'Membership' names the resulting status rather than the act, so we say 'EU membership' but not 'EU accession' for the ongoing condition. 'Adherence' is the most legal-sounding and stresses commitment to the rules of the treaty itself.

accession ↗admission ↗entry ↗membership ↗adherence ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • accession ceremony
  • accession treaty
  • accession negotiations
  • accession talks
  • accession number
  • instrument of accession
  • accession date
  • accession process

Adverbs

Phrases

  • mark one's accession
  • celebrate the accession of
  • negotiate accession to
  • the country's accession to

Prepositions

  • accession to
  • accession of
  • accession as
  • on accession
  • since one's accession
  • at one's accession

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Accession entered English in the late 1300s through Old French 'accession', which came from Latin 'accessio', meaning a coming near or an addition. The Latin root combines 'ad-' (towards) with 'cedere' (to go), so the original idea is of moving up to something. The royal-succession sense and the museum-cataloguing sense both grew from that older idea of an addition: a new monarch is added to the line of rulers, and a new book is added to a library's holdings.