From Latin 'acquirere' — literally 'to seek toward,' combining 'ad-' (to) and 'quaerere' (to seek).
To buy or obtain an object or asset; to learn or develop a skill, habit, or quality.
From Old French 'aquerir' (to acquire, to obtain), from Latin 'acquīrere' (to get in addition, to accumulate), composed of 'ad-' (to, toward, in addition) + 'quaerere' (to seek, to ask for, to inquire). The PIE root behind 'quaerere' is debated but may connect to *kʷeh₂- (to seek). The original Latin sense was 'to seek toward' — to go after something and successfully get it, with the 'ad-' prefix adding a sense of accumulation or addition to what one already has. Latin 'quaerere' is one of the great verb-generators of English: 'require' (to seek back, to demand), 'inquire' (to seek into), 'query' and 'question' (things