recognition

noun

1. the state or quality of being recognized or acknowledged"the partners were delighted with the recognition of their work"
2. the process of recognizing something or someone by remembering"a politician whose recall of names was as remarkable as his recognition of faces"
3. approval"give her recognition for trying"
4. coming to understand something clearly and distinctly"a growing realization of the risk involved"
5. (biology) the ability of one molecule to attach to another molecule that has a complementary shape"molecular recognition drives all of biology, for instance, hormone and receptor or antibody-antigen interactions or the organization of molecules into larger biologically active entities"
6. the explicit and formal acknowledgement of a government or of the national independence of a country"territorial disputes were resolved in Guatemala's recognition of Belize in 1991"
7. an acceptance (as of a claim) as true and valid"the recognition of the Rio Grande as a boundary between Mexico and the United States"
8. designation by the chair granting a person the right to speak in a deliberative body"he was unable to make his motion because he couldn't get recognition by the chairman"