Acquired

How to spell acquired

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce acquired

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does acquired mean?

1. verbCame to possess or obtain something, often by effort, purchase, or over time.
2. adjectiveDeveloped or gained through experience rather than being innate or natural.

Acquired in a sentence

• verb

  The company acquired three smaller rivals during the merger.

• adjective

  Strong black coffee is very much an acquired taste.

• verb

  Over the years she acquired a vast collection of vintage maps.

• adjective

  Patience under pressure is an acquired skill that takes years to build.

Where does acquired come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb acquirere, meaning 'to get in addition' or 'to gain for oneself', formed from the prefix ad- ('to, toward') and quaerere ('to seek or ask'). The same quaerere root sits inside a whole family of familiar English words such as 'question', 'inquire', 'require', and 'conquer', all of which carry the underlying idea of seeking. English took the word in through Old French aquerre during the 1400s, and the spelling was later reshaped to mirror the Latin original, which is exactly why the silent 'c' was reinserted before the 'qu'. That restored 'cq' cluster is the heart of the modern spelling trap, because the word sounds as though it could simply begin with 'aqu-'. The past form 'acquired' has meant 'gained, obtained, or come to possess' since the verb settled into everyday English use.

How the word is built

• ac- (variant of ad-: to, toward)
• quir- (from Latin quaerere: to seek)
• -ed (past-tense/participle suffix)