Acquisitively

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a way that demonstrates an insatiable longing to obtain possessions, especially in relation to material wealth or resources
2. Acting with a pronounced eagerness to gather and hold onto things, particularly in the context of valuables or assets
3. In a manner that reflects a keen desire to gain and retain ownership of items, often emphasizing the accumulation of wealth or important assets

Etymology: "Acquisitively" is a plain adverb built from "acquisitive" plus the suffix "-ly," so the interesting story lies in the suffix and the word it modifies. The suffix traces back a long way: its ancestor is the Proto-Indo-European root *leyg-, meaning "like" or "same," which passed into Proto-Germanic as a word meaning "body" or "form," with the sense of having a particular shape or appearance. Over the centuries this developed into the adjective-forming ending that Old English spelled "-līċe," used to turn a quality into a manner of doing something. Middle English reduced it to "-ly," the form we still use. The adjective "acquisitive" comes from the same family of words as "acquire," which goes back to the Latin verb "acquirere," meaning "to gain in addition." Adding "-ly" to it produces the adverb, describing the manner in which someone goes about gaining or hoarding things. The result is a word that sounds formal but is simply a combination of two well-established parts.

Synonyms: greedily, covetously, materialistically

Antonyms: generously, unselfishly, selflessly