ac·knowl·edg·ment also ac·knowl·edge·ment n
1 a: the act of acknowledging
b: the act of admitting paternity compare filiation
2: a thing done or given in recognition of something received
an acknowledgment came in the mail
3 a: a declaration or avowal of one's act or a fact to give it legal validity; specif: a declaration before a duly qualified public officer (as a notary public) by a person who has executed an instrument that the execution was the person's free act and deed
b: the formal certificate made by an officer before whom one has acknowledged a deed including as an essential part the signature and often the seal of the officer
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.