/ ˌækwɪˈzɪʃn; NAmE / noun
1.
[ U ] the act of getting sth, especially knowledge, a skill, etc. :
theories of child language acquisition
2.
[ C ] something that sb buys to add to what they already own, usually sth valuable :
His latest acquisition is a racehorse.
3.
[ C , U ] ( business ) a company, piece of land, etc. bought by sb, especially another company; the act of buying it :
They have made acquisitions in several EU countries.
the acquisition of shares by employees
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense act of acquiring something ): from Latin acquisitio(n-) , from the verb acquirere get in addition, from ad- to + quaerere seek. The English spelling was modified ( c. 1600) by association with the Latin word.