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acquire - 6 dictionary results

ac⋅quire

  [uh-kwahyuhr]
Use acquire in a Sentence
–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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ac·quire   (ə-kwīr')   
tr.v.   ac·quired, ac·quir·ing, ac·quires
  1. To gain possession of: acquire 100 shares of stock.
  2. To get by one's own efforts: acquire proficiency in math.
  3. To gain through experience; come by: acquired a growing dislike of television sitcoms.
  4. 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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : acquire
Spanish: adquirir,
German: erwerben,
Japanese: 得る
More Translations »

acquire 
c.1435, from O.Fr. aquerre, from L. aequirere (see acquisition).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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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 acquired —Railroad C. Clark> acquired jurisdiction> —ac·quir·er also ac·qui·ror /&-'kwIr-&r/ noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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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) acquired in early childhood —Noam Chomsky> acquire tolerance to antibiotics> acquire resistance to DDT>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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