early 14c., "an attack of fever," from Old French acces "onslaught, attack; onset (of an illness)," from Latin accessus "a coming to, an approach; way of approach, entrance," noun use of past participle of accedere "to approach," from assimilated form of ad "to" (see ad-) + cedere "go, move, withdraw" (from PIE root *ked- "to go, yield"). The English sense of "an entrance" (c. 1600) is directly from Latin. The meaning "habit or power of getting into the presence of (someone or something)" is from late 14c.

"gain access to, be able to use," 1962, originally in computing, from access (n.). Related: Accessed; accessing.

"lack of access," 1745, from non- + access (n.). Especially in law, "impossibility of access for sexual intercourse," as when a husband is out of the country in military service or at sea longer than the time of gestation of a child. "[W]hen a husband could not, in the course of nature, by reason of his absence, have been the father of his wife's child, the child is a bastard" ["Wharton's Law Lexicon," London, 1883].

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to go, yield."

It forms all or part of: abscess; accede; access; ancestor; antecede; antecedent; cease; cede; cession; concede; decease; exceed; excess; incessant; intercede; necessary; precede; predecessor; proceed; recede; recess; recession; secede; secession; succeed; success.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit sedhati "to drive, chase away;" Avestan apa-had- "turn aside, step aside;" Latin cedere "to yield, give place; to give up some right or property," originally "to go from, proceed, leave;" Old Church Slavonic chodu "a walking, going," choditi "to go."

1957, acronym for random access memory (computerese).

c. 1400, "affording access, capable of being approached or reached," from Old French accessible and directly from Late Latin accessibilis, verbal adjective from Latin accessus "a coming near, an approach; an entrance," from accedere "approach, go to, come near, enter upon" (see accede). The meaning "easy to reach" is from 1640s; of art or writing, "able to be readily understood," by 1961 (a word not needed before writing or art often deliberately was made not so). Related: Accessibility.

"cafe that offers Internet access on its computers," or (later) via Wi-Fi on customers' computers," 1994, from cyber- + cafe.

c. 1600, of persons, "separated from others, withdrawn from public observation;" 1798, in reference to places, "remote or screened from visibility or access;" past-participle adjective from seclude (v.). Earlier secluse (1590s).

"chamber which gives access to a principal chamber; waiting room," 1650s, antichamber, from French antichambre (16c.), on analogy of Italian anticamera (see ante- and chamber (n.)). English spelling Latinized to ante- in 18c.

also man-hole, "hole or opening in a floor, pavement, etc., through which a person may pass to gain access to certain parts for cleaning or repairing," 1793, from man (n.) + hole (n.).