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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 target) with an aiming device or 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.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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