Obtension

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process or action of gaining possession or acquiring something
2. The act through which something is secured or acquired by effort or means
3. The method or instance of coming into possession of an object or result

Etymology: "Obtension" is a rare English noun, formed directly from Latin "obtentio," a noun built on the verb "obtinere," meaning "to hold, possess, or obtain." That Latin verb combined "ob-" ("toward" or "against") with "tenere" ("to hold"), so the core image is of grasping something put in front of you. The English word carries the same sense of taking hold of something. Its meaning, "the act of acquiring," follows directly from that Latin root, so there is no major shift in sense between the original and the English form. The word stayed in the learned register, where it sits alongside its relatives "obtain" and "obtainment."