Acquisition
Etymology
From Latin "acquirere" (to get in addition), built from "ad-" (to) and "quaerere" (to seek or gain). The word has always carried the sense of adding to what you already have. Applied to companies, it names the seeking and taking of another firm as an asset.
noun · /ak-wih-ZISH-un/
One company buying and absorbing another, taking control of it.
What it names
The plain fact of a purchase where power and ownership pass to the buyer, whatever the announcement calls it.
Example
After the acquisition, the founder cashed out and the beloved app slowly filled with ads.
Related idea
An acquisition is openly one firm buying another; a merger dresses the same act as a union of equals. When a buyer wants to soften the optics, a takeover is announced as a merger — but due diligence precedes either.
noun · /ak-wih-ZISH-un/
The gaining of a skill, habit, or body of knowledge.
What it names
learning, as in “language acquisition.”
Example
Children’s acquisition of grammar is remarkably fast.
Related idea
Acquiring an ability rather than a company.
noun · /ak-wih-ZISH-un/
Something that has been acquired; a new possession.
What it names
a recent addition to a collection.
Example
The museum’s latest acquisition is a Rembrandt.
Related idea
The thing gained, rather than the act of gaining it.