acquire

Where does the word "acquire" come from? It comes from Latin acquirere, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Acquire’s story begins in Latin: acquirere meant “to seek to obtain.” To seek to obtain, from ad- (to) and quaerere (to seek). It reached English by 1400s as acquire. First recorded before 1450 in 'The Seven Sages of Rome', a story cycle that reached English from the East by way of French. Today, acquire means to gain possession of something, especially through one's own effort.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient acquirere "to seek to obtain", to seek to obtain, from ad- (to) and quaerere (to seek).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s acquire "to gain possession of something", first recorded before 1450 in 'The Seven Sages of Rome', a story cycle that reached English from the East by way of French.