Acquires

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Obtains or comes into possession of something through effort or purchase
2. Secures ownership of an item, asset, or quality by various means
3. Receives or takes control of something, often through deliberate action

Etymology: "Acquires" is the third-person singular form of "acquire", so its history is that of the verb itself. The verb comes from Latin "acquirere", built from "ad-" meaning "to" and "quaerere", meaning "to seek for." Its core idea is therefore one of pursuit: to acquire something is to go out and look for it until it is yours. That same Latin root lies behind "quest" and "question," which is why the verb carries a sense of active searching even when it is used for something as passive as inheriting a fortune. The word reached English through Old French "aquerre" and then Middle English "acqueren," so it arrived by way of the French-speaking world rather than directly from Latin. The sense of seeking has largely faded in everyday use, and the verb now usually means simply coming to own something, whether by purchase, gift, or gradual accumulation.

Synonyms: obtains, gains, secures, procures, attains

Antonyms: loses, forfeits, surrenders, releases, gives away