accost

1 speak to someone [syn: address, come up to]

2 approach with an offer of sexual favors; "he was solicited by a prostitute"; "The young man was caught soliciting in the park" [syn: hook, solicit]

English

Etymology

French accoster, Late Latin accostare to bring side by side; Latin ad + costa rib, side. See coast, and compare accoast.

Pronunciation

• a US /əˈkɔst/

Verb

1. In the context of "transitive": To approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with a demand or request.
2. In the context of "transitive|obsolete": To join side to side; to border; hence, to sail along the coast or side of.
   • So much [of Lapland] as accosts the sea. - Fuller
3. In the context of "transitive|obsolete|Shakespearian": To approach; to make up to
4. To speak to first; to address; to greet.
   • Him, Satan thus accosts - Milton
5. In the context of "intransitive|obsolete": To adjoin; to lie alongside
   • The shores which to the sea accost - Spenser

Translations

• Breton: divorañ, dilestrañ, douarañ, abourzhañ
• French: aborder
• German: sich nähern
• Interlingua: accostar, abordar
• Italian: indirizzarsi a
• Portuguese: abordar
• Spanish: acercarse a

Noun

1. Address; greeting.

address, advance, apostrophize, appeal to, approach, appropinquate, approximate, bear down on, bear down upon, bear up, bespeak, bid good day, bid good morning, bow to, buttonhole, call to, close, close in, close with, come, come closer, come forward, come near, come on, come up, confront, curtsy, draw near, draw nigh, encounter, exchange greetings, gain upon, greet, hail, halloo, invoke, kiss, kiss hands, lift the hat, narrow the gap, near, nod to, proximate, pull the forelock, salute, say hello, shake, shake hands, sidle up to, speak, speak fair, speak to, step up, take aside, talk to, touch the hat, uncover