English
acquisition
Acquisition comes from Latin acquīrō ‘to acquire or obtain’, from quaerō ‘to seek’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- ‘to acquire’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷeh₂-1‘to acquire’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷaizō1uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaerō2‘to seek’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacquīrō3‘to acquire or obtain’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacquisītiō3
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400acquisicion3
- Englishtodayacquisition3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin quaero, which cites LIV
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin acquiro
- 3 Wiktionary, English acquisition
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷeh₂-Wiktionary, Latin quaero, which cites LIV‘to acquire’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷaizōWiktionary, Latin quaero, which cites LIVuncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaerōWiktionary, Latin acquiro‘to seek’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacquīrōWiktionary, English acquisition‘to acquire or obtain’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacquisītiōWiktionary, English acquisition
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400acquisicionWiktionary, English acquisition
- EnglishtodayacquisitionWiktionary, English acquisition
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- ‘to acquire’
through Proto-Italic *kʷaizō
conquest, questionnaire, 10 more
through Latin quaerō ‘to seek’
quest, inquiry, conquer, query, enquiry, inquire, exquisite, requisite, inquisition, inquisitor, 12 more
Today it means
noun The act or process of acquiring.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “acquisition”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin quaero, Latin acquiro. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- / acquisition