pass
noun
Pass — the successful clearing of a required test or standard
Definition
Success in satisfying a test or requirement; "his future depended on his passing that test"; "he got a pass in introductory chemistry"
In depth
A pass is success in satisfying a test or requirement, the noun form naming both the act and the result of meeting a defined standard. The word implies a binary outcome, success or failure, with no middle ground, the clean and simple confirmation that whatever threshold was set has been successfully cleared.
Origin
The word shares its root entirely with 'passing,' both descending from Latin passus, a step. Its use as a simple noun, naming the achieved outcome rather than the ongoing action, reflects English's general flexibility in converting action verbs into compact, results-oriented nouns whenever a single clear outcome needs naming.
Usage examples
"His future depended on his passing that test, the single binary outcome determining everything that followed."
"She earned a clean pass on her first attempt, requiring none of the retakes so many of her classmates needed."
"The inspector's pass came as a tremendous relief after weeks of anxious preparation."
How to use it
Pass is plain, universally understood vocabulary across educational and regulatory contexts, useful for its binary clarity, distinguishing clean success from any of failure's many possible gradations.
Related concepts
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