Acquirees

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The individuals or entities that receive or obtain something in a business acquisition context
2. Those who are targeted for acquisition, typically referring to companies or assets that are bought by another organization
3. Parties that gain ownership or control over certain resources or enterprises during a merger or acquisition process

Etymology: "Acquirees" is the plural of "acquiree", a noun for the party that is taken over in a merger or acquisition. The word is built from "acquire" and the suffix "-ee", which in English denotes a person who is the recipient or object of an action, as in "employee" or "trainee". So an acquiree is, literally, one who is acquired, the mirror image of the acquirer. "Acquire" traces back through Anglo-French "acquerre" to Latin "acquaerere", meaning "to gain, to get in addition", built from "ad" ("to") and "quaerere" ("to seek"). The "-ee" suffix entered English through Anglo-French, where the ending "-é" marked a person affected by an action, and it became productive in English legal and commercial vocabulary. The plural simply adds "-s", giving "acquirees" for groups of companies or firms that have been or are being acquired.

Synonyms: recipients, beneficiaries, grantees

Antonyms: donors, givers