v.
Pronunciation: ə - ' kw ī (- ə )r
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form: ac · quired ; ac · quir · ing
Etymology: Middle English aqueren, from Anglo-French acquerre, from Latin acquirere, from ad- + quaerere to seek, obtain
Date: 15th century
1 : to get as one's own: a : to come into possession or control of often by unspecified means b : to come to have as a new or added characteristic, trait, or ability (as by sustained effort or natural selection) < acquire fluency in French> <bacteria that acquire tolerance to antibiotics>
2 : to locate and hold (a desired object) in a detector < acquire a target by radar>