accommodation

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun The act of accommodating or the state of being accommodated; adjustment.
• noun Something that meets a need; a convenience.
• noun Room and board; lodgings.
• noun A seat, compartment, or room on a public vehicle.
• noun Reconciliation or settlement of opposing views.
• noun Physiology The automatic adjustment in the focal length of the lens of the eye to permit retinal focus of images of objects at varying distances.
• noun A financial favor, such as a loan.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun In biology, a change which is brought about in a living being by its own activity and is not transmitted to its descendants, as contrasted with a variation regarded as a congenital change which is not the effect of the activity of the organism and is transmitted to descendants; an acquired character.
• noun In genetic psychology, the reverse of habit.
• noun In thcol., the theory that God in his revelation so modifies its teaching that it meets the needs of man, who is limited in knowledge and holiness. So God's law is accommodated to the hardness of man's heart, and his truth to ignorance.
• noun A public coach with seats inside for twelve persons, and with an entrance on each side.
• noun The act of accommodating: as
• noun Adjustment of differences; reconciliation, as of parties in dispute.
• noun Convenience; the supplying of a want; aid.
• noun The state of being accommodated; fitness; state of adaptation: followed by to, sometimes by with.
• noun Anything which supplies a want, as in respect of ease, refreshment, and the like; anything furnished for use; a convenience: chiefly applied to lodgings: as, accommodation for man and beast: often used in the plural.
• noun Specifically In com., pecuniary aid in an emergency; a loan of money, either directly or by becoming security for the repayment of a sum advanced by another, as by a banker. In physiology, the automatic adjustment of the eye, or its power of adjusting itself to distinct vision at different distances, or of the ear to higher or lower tones.
• noun Land acquired for the purpose of being added to other land for its improvement. Rapalje and Lawrence.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun The act of fitting or adapting, or the state of being fitted or adapted; adaptation; adjustment; -- followed by to.
• noun Willingness to accommodate; obligingness.
• noun Whatever supplies a want or affords ease, refreshment, or convenience; anything furnished which is desired or needful; -- often in the plural.
• noun An adjustment of differences; state of agreement; reconciliation; settlement.
• noun The application of a writer's language, on the ground of analogy, to something not originally referred to or intended.
• noun A loan of money.
• noun An accommodation bill or note.
• noun (Com.) a bill of exchange which a person accepts, or a note which a person makes and delivers to another, not upon a consideration received, but for the purpose of raising money on credit.
• noun one running at moderate speed and stopping at all or nearly all stations.
• noun (Naut.) a light ladder hung over the side of a ship at the gangway, useful in ascending from, or descending to, small boats.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun chiefly UK Lodging in a dwelling or similar living quarters afforded to travellers in hotels or on cruise ships, or prisoners, etc.
• noun countable, uncountable The act of fitting or adapting, or the state of being fitted or adapted; adaptation; adjustment.
• noun countable, uncountable Willingness to accommodate; obligingness.
• noun Whatever supplies a want or affords ease, refreshment, or convenience; anything furnished which is desired or needful; -- often in the plural; as, the accommodations -- that is, lodgings and food -- at an inn
• noun countable, uncountable Adjustment of differences; state of agreement; reconciliation; settlement; compromise.
• noun countable The application of a writer's language, on the ground of analogy, to something not originally referred to or intended.
• noun countable, commerce A loan of money.
• noun countable, commerce An accommodation bill or note.
• noun countable, law An offer of substitute goods to fulfill a contract, which will bind the purchaser if accepted
• noun countable, physiology, biology The adaptation or adjustment of an organism, organ, or part.
• noun countable, medicine The adjustment of the eye to a change of the distance from an observed object.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun in the theories of Jean Piaget: the modification of internal representations in order to accommodate a changing knowledge of reality
• noun (physiology) the automatic adjustment in focal length of the natural lens of the eye
• noun the act of providing something (lodging or seat or food) to meet a need
• noun a settlement of differences
• noun making or becoming suitable; adjusting to circumstances
• noun living quarters provided for public convenience