Procure

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /pɹəˈkjʊə/

Definitions

1. To obtain or acquire an item through effort or special means ; to cause or bring about a particular action or result
2. To secure or get possession of something with deliberate effort ; to make something happen or ensure it occurs
3. To gain or source something, often by careful or organized effort ; to induce or arrange for a specific outcome or event

Etymology: The most striking thing about "procure" is how far its original sense drifted from the modern one. In Latin, "prōcūrāre" meant to manage or look after something on someone else's behalf, which is a far cry from the grabbing and acquiring the verb suggests today. The Latin word combined "prō," meaning "on behalf of," with "cūrō," meaning "to care for," so its core idea was care exercised for another person. That caring sense passed into Old French as "procurer," still carrying the notion of managing affairs or arranging matters. When the word reached Middle English, it kept this stewardship flavour: to arrange or bring about something through careful effort. The modern idea of securing or obtaining something gradually grew out of that sense of deliberately arranging for an outcome. The shift from caring for something to obtaining it is one reason the word can feel slightly formal today. Its "care" root stayed hidden beneath a meaning that now emphasises deliberate effort toward getting a result.

Synonyms: obtain, acquire, secure, get, fetch

Antonyms: lose, give away