recognition: Meaning and Definition of

rec•og•ni•tion

1. an act of recognizing or the state of being recognized.
2. the identification of something as having been previously seen, heard, known, etc.
3. the perception of something as existing or true; realization.
4. the acknowledgment of something as valid or as entitled to consideration: the recognition of a claim.
5. the acknowledgment of achievement, service, merit, etc.
6. the expression of this in the form of some token of appreciation: This promotion constitutes our recognition of her exceptional ability.
7. formal acknowledgment conveying approval or sanction.
8. acknowledgment of right to be heard or given attention: The chairman refused recognition to any delegate until order could be restored.
9. an official act by which one state acknowledges the existence of another state or government, or of belligerency or insurgency.
10. the automated conversion of information, as words or images, into a form that can be processed by a machine, esp. a computer or computerized device. Cf.
11. the responsiveness of one substance to another based on the reciprocal fit of a portion of their molecular shapes.