14 results for: Acquire

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

ac·quire

Audio Help [uh-kwahy^uhr] Pronunciation Key

–verb (used with object), -quired, -quir·ing.

1.	to come into possession or ownership of; get as one's own: to acquire property.

2.	to gain for oneself through one's actions or efforts: to acquire learning.

3.	Linguistics. to achieve native or nativelike command of (a language or a linguistic rule or element).

4.	Military. to locate and track (a moving target) with a detector, as radar.

[Origin: 1400–50; < L acquīrere to add to one's possessions, acquire (ac- ac- + -quīrere, comb. form of quaerere to search for, obtain); r. late ME aquere < MF aquerre < L

]

—Related forms

ac·quir·a·ble, adjective

ac·quir·a·bil·i·ty, noun

ac·quir·er, noun

—Synonyms 1. See get. 2. win, earn, attain; appropriate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Acquire

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

ac·quire Audio Help (ə-kwīr') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. ac·quired, ac·quir·ing, ac·quires

To gain possession of: acquire 100 shares of stock.
To get by one's own efforts: acquire proficiency in math.
To gain through experience; come by: acquired a growing dislike of television sitcoms.
To locate (a moving object) with a tracking system, such as radar.

[Middle English acquere, from Old French aquerre, from Latin acquīrere, to add to : ad-, ad- + quaerere, to seek, get.]

ac·quir'a·ble adj., ac·quir'er n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
acquire

c.1435, from O.Fr. aquerre, from L. aequirere (see acquisition).

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

acquire
verb
1.	come into the possession of something concrete or abstract; "She got a lot of paintings from her uncle"; "They acquired a new pet"; "Get your results the next day"; "Get permission to take a few days off from work" [syn: get]
2.	take on a certain form, attribute, or aspect; "His voice took on a sad tone"; "The story took a new turn"; "he adopted an air of superiority"; "She assumed strange manners"; "The gods assume human or animal form in these fables" [syn: assume]
3.	come to have or undergo a change of (physical features and attributes); "He grew a beard"; "The patient developed abdominal pains"; "I got funny spots all over my body"; "Well-developed breasts" [syn: grow]
4.	locate (a moving entity) by means of a tracking system such as radar
5.	win something through one's efforts; "I acquired a passing knowledge of Chinese"; "Gain an understanding of international finance" [ant: lose]
6.	gain knowledge or skills; "She learned dancing from her sister"; "I learned Sanskrit"; "Children acquire language at an amazing rate" [syn: learn]
7.	gain through experience; "I acquired a strong aversion to television"; "Children must develop a sense of right and wrong"; "Dave developed leadership qualities in his new position"; "develop a passion for painting" [syn: develop]

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version) - Cite This Source - Share This
acquire [əˈkwaiə] verb

to get
Example: He acquired a knowledge of English.

Arabic:	يَكْتَسِب،يُحَقِّق
Chinese (Simplified):	学到；获得
Chinese (Traditional):	學到；獲得
Czech:	získat
Danish:	erhverve; tilegne sig
Dutch:	verwerven
Estonian:	omandama
Finnish:	hankkia
French:	acquérir
German:	erwerben
Greek:	αποκτώ
Hungarian:	szert tesz vmire, elsajátít vmit
Icelandic:	afla sér
Indonesian:	mendapatkan, memperoleh
Italian:	acquisire, acquistare

Japanese:	得る
Korean:	습득하다, 얻다
Latvian:	iegūt; apgūt
Lithuanian:	įgyti
Norwegian:	skaffe, tilegne seg
Polish:	zdobywać, nabywać
Portuguese (Brazil):	adquirir
Portuguese (Portugal):	adquirir
Romanian:	a dobândi
Russian:	приобретать
Slovak:	získať, nadobudnúť
Slovenian:	pridobiti
Spanish:	adquirir
Swedish:	förvärva, få
Turkish:	elde etmek

See also: acquisition, acquisitive

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Main Entry: ac·quire
Pronunciation: &-'kwI(&)r
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: ac·quired; ac·quir·ing
: to come to have as a new or additional characteristic, trait, or ability (as by sustained effort, by mutation, or through environmental forces) <a cognitive system … that is acquired in early childhood —Noam Chomsky> <bacteria that acquire tolerance to antibiotics> <insects that acquire resistance to DDT>

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This

Main Entry: ac·quire
Pronunciation: &-'kwIr
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: ac·quired; ac·quir·ing
: to come into possession, ownership, or control of : obtain as one's own <the target's directors don't want the company to be acquired —Railroad C. Clark> <the court acquired jurisdiction> —ac·quir·er also ac·qui·ror /&-'kwIr-&r/ noun

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Acquire

Ac*quest"\, n. [OF. aquest, F. acqu[^e]t, fr. LL. acquestum, acquis[=i]tum, for L. acquis[=i]tum, p. p. (used substantively) of acquirere to acquire. See Acquire.]

1. Acquisition; the thing gained. [R.] --Bacon.

2. (Law) Property acquired by purchase, gift, or otherwise than by inheritance. --Bouvier.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Acquire

Ac*quire"\, v. 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's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Acquire

Ac"qui*site\, a. [L. acquisitus, p. p. of acquirere. See Acquire.] Acquired. [Obs.] --Burton.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Acquire

Ac`qui*si"tion\, n. [L. acquisitio, fr. acquirere: cf. F. acquisition. See Acquire.]

1. The act or process of acquiring.

The acquisition or loss of a province. --Macaulay.

2. The thing acquired or gained; an acquirement; a gain; as, learning is an acquisition.

Syn: See Acquirement.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Acquire

Ob*tain"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Obtained; p. pr. & vb. n. Obtaining.] [F. obtenir, L. obtinere; ob (see Ob-) + tenere to hold. See Tenable.]

1. To hold; to keep; to possess. [Obs.]

His mother, then, is mortal, but his Sire He who obtains the monarchy of heaven. --Milton.

2. To get hold of by effort; to gain possession of; to procure; to acquire, in any way.

Some pray for riches; riches they obtain. --Dryden.

By guileful fair words peace may be obtained. --Shak.

It may be that I may obtain children by her. --Gen. xvi. 2.

Syn: To attain; gain; procure; acquire; win; earn.

Usage: See Attain. -- To Obtain, Get, Gain, Earn, Acquire. The idea of getting is common to all these terms. We may, indeed, with only a slight change of sense, substitute get for either of them; as, to get or to gain a prize; to get or to obtain an employment; to get or to earn a living; to get or to acquire a language. To gain is to get by striving; and as this is often a part of our good fortune, the word gain is peculiarly applicable to whatever comes to us fortuitously. Thus, we gain a victory, we gain a cause, we gain an advantage, etc. To earn is to deserve by labor or service; as, to earn good wages; to earn a triumph. Unfortunately, one does not always get or obtain what he has earned. To obtain implies desire for possession, and some effort directed to the attainment of that which is not immediately within our reach. Whatever we thus seek and get, we obtain, whether by our own exertions or those of others; whether by good or bad means; whether permanently, or only for a time. Thus, a man obtains an employment; he obtains an answer to a letter, etc. To acquire is more limited and specific. We acquire what comes to us gradually in the regular exercise of our abilities, while we obtain what comes in any way, provided we desire it. Thus, we acquire knowledge, property, honor, reputation, etc. What we acquire becomes, to a great extent, permanently our own; as, to acquire a language; to acquire habits of industry, etc.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Acquire

Que"ry\, n.; pl. Queries. [L. quaere, imperative sing. of quaerere, quaesitum to seek or search for, to ask, inquire. Cf. Acquire, Conquer, Exquisite, Quest, Require.]

1. A question; an inquiry to be answered or solved.

I shall conclude with proposing only some queries, in order to a . . . search to be made by others. --Sir I. Newton.

2. A question in the mind; a doubt; as, I have a query about his sincerity.

3. An interrogation point [?] as the sign of a question or a doubt.

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