Etymologically
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acquisition

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 12:32. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌæk.wɪˈzɪʃ.ən/ (UK); /ˌæk.wɪˈzɪʃ.ən/, /ˌæk.wəˈzɪʃ.ən/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English adquisicioun, borrowed from Anglo-Norman acquisition or directly borrowed from Latin acquīsītio (“an acquiring”),[2][3][4] a noun of action from acquīrere (“to get in addition”) (see acquire),[2][3] from ad- (“to”) and quaerere (“to seek”).[3] The change of -ae- to -i- follows a Latin rule for unstressed syllables in compounds.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of obtaining: 1387 in the OED,[5] before 1400 in Barnhart,[2] the late 14th century in Etymonline.[3]

Semantic evolution

A thing obtained or gained is from the late 15th century, 1477 in the OED.[3][5] A welcome addition to a group, such as a new player or a work bought by a museum, follows.[6][7] The takeover of one company by another is a modern business sense,[7] and the locating of a target by radar is from 1958.[5] Acquisitive is from 1637.[2] In linguistics, language acquisition is the learning of a language.[7]

Timeline

  • 1387 – the act of obtaining.[5]
  • 1477 – a thing acquired.[5]
  • 1637 – acquisitive.[2]
  • 1958 – locating a target by radar.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of acquiring something.
  2. Something acquired, especially a valuable addition to a collection or group.
  3. The purchase of one company by another; a takeover.
  4. The process of locating a target or satellite so as to track it.

Word family

  • acquisitional
  • acquisitor
  • preacquisition
  • reacquisition

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins