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Webster 1913 Edition

Acquire

Ac-quire′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Acquired
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Acquiring
.]
[L.
acquirere
,
acquisitum
;
ad
+
quarere
to seek for. In OE. was a verb
aqueren
, fr. the same, through OF.
aquerre
. See
Quest
..]
To gain, usually by one’s own exertions; to get as one's own;
as, to
acquire
a title, riches, knowledge, skill, good or bad habits
.
No virtue is
acquired
in an instant, but step by step.
Barrow.
Descent is the title whereby a man, on the death of his ancestor,
acquires
his estate, by right of representation, as his heir at law.
Blackstone.
Syn. – To obtain; gain; attain; procure; win; earn; secure. See
Obtain
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Acquire

ACQUI'RE

,
Verb.
T.
[L. acquiro, ad and quaero to seek, that is to follow, to press, to urge; acquiro signifies to pursue to the end or object; Heb. to seek, to make towards, to follow. The L. quaesivi, unless contracted, is probably from a different root. See class Gr. and Gs.]
To gain, by any means, something which is in a degree permanent, or which becomes vested or inherent in the possessor; as, to acquire a title, estate, learning, habits, skill, dominion, &c. Plants acquire a green color from the solar rays. a mere temporary possession is not expressed by acquire, but by gain, obtain, procure, as to obtain [not acquire] a book on loan.
Descent is the title whereby a man, on the death of his ancestor, acquires his estate, by right of representation, as his heir at law.

Definition 2024

acquire

acquire

English

Verb

acquire ‎(third-person singular simple present acquires, present participle acquiring, simple past and past participle acquired)

  1. (transitive) To get.
  2. (transitive) To gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own, as, to acquire a title, riches, knowledge, skill, good or bad habits.
    • Isaac Barrow (1630-1677)
      No virtue is acquired in an instant, but step by step.
    • William Blackstone (1723-1780)
      Descent is the title whereby a man, on the death of his ancestor, acquires his estate, by right of representation, as his heir at law.
    • 1922, Michael Arlen, chapter 3/19/2, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days:
      Ivor had acquired more than a mile of fishing rights with the house ; he was not at all a good fisherman, but one must do something ; one generally, however, banged a ball with a squash-racket against a wall.
  3. (medicine) To contract.
  4. (computing) To sample signals and convert them into digital values.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Latin

Verb

acquīre

  1. second-person singular present active imperative of acquīrō

Etymology

From Middle English acqueren, from Old French aquerre, from Latin acquirere; ad + quaerere ‎(“to seek for”). See quest.

Pronunciation

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