acquire
pronunciation
How to pronounce acquire in British English:
UK [əˈkwaɪə(r)]
How to pronounce acquire in American English:
US [əˈkwaɪər]
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- Verb:
- come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
- take on a certain form, attribute, or aspect
- come to have or undergo a change of (physical features and attributes)
- locate (a moving entity) by means of a tracking system such as radar
- win something through one's efforts
- acquire or gain knowledge or skills
- gain through experience
Word Origin
- acquire
- acquire: [15] The original source of acquire, Latin acquīrere, meant literally ‘get something extra’. It was formed from the verb quaerere ‘try to get or obtain’ (from which English gets query, the derivatives enquire and require, and, via the past participial stem, quest and question) plus the prefix ad-, conveying the idea of being additional. English borrowed the word via Old French acquerre, and it was originally spelled acquere, but around 1600 the spelling was changed to acquire, supposedly to bring it more into conformity with its Latin source.=> query, quest, question
- acquire (v.)
- mid-15c., acqueren, from Old French aquerre "acquire, gain, earn, procure," from Vulgar Latin *acquaerere, corresponding to Latin acquirere "to seek in addition to" (see acquisition). Reborrowed in current form from Latin c. 1600. Related: Acquired; acquiring.
Example
- 1. One must believe in order to acquire understanding .
- 2. But criminals determined to acquire a gun can do so with relative ease .
- 3. The important thing is to acquire a degree so you have more opportunities available to you .
- 4. These cannot be bad habits for economists to acquire .
- 5. All the while , you 'll acquire a skill .