E 
acquaint 
iar with; also neat, compt, fine, spruce in ap- 
parel, or otherwise" (Cotgrave), < L. accognitua, 
>p. of accognoscere, know or recognize perfect- 
ly, < ad, to, + cognoscere, know, < co-, com-, to- 
f ether, + * gno-scere, no-scere = E. know : see 
now, and cognition, cognize. Cf. quaint. Ac- 
quaint is now regarded as a clipped form of ac- 
quainted, pp.] Acquainted; personally or mu- 
tually known : as, we are not acquaint. [Scotch 
and north. Eng.] 
When we were first acquent. 
Burns, John Anderson. 
acquaint (a-kwant'),t> . [< ME. aqueinten,aqueyn- 
ten, earlier acointen, akointen, < OF. acointer, 
acointier, acouinter, acuintier, acoentier, aquin- 
ter, later accointer, "to make acquainted; . . . 
also to seek or affect the acquaintance of; 
. . . s'accointer de, to wax acquainted, grow 
familiar with, or to get or desire the acquain- 
tance of" (Cotgrave), < ML. adcognitare, make 
known, < L. accognitus, pp. of accognoscere, 
know or recognize perfectly: see acquaint, a.] 
1. trans. 1. To cause to have acquaintance or 
be more or less familiar; make conversant: used 
with with: as, to acquaint one's self, or make 
one's self acquainted, with a subject ; to make 
persons (to be) acquainted with each other. 
A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. 1 sa. liii. 3. 
Misery acquaint* a man with strange bedfellows. 
Shak., Tempest, ii. 2. 
We that acquaint ourselves with every zone. 
Sir J. Davies, Int. to Immortal, of Soul. 
Persons themselves acquaint us with the impersonal. 
Emerson, Essays, 1st ser., p. 262. 
2. To furnish with knowledge or information 
(about) ; make conversant by notice or com- 
munication: with with before the subject of 
information, and formerly sometimes with of: 
as, to acquaint a friend with one's proceedings. 
But ; for some other reasons, my grave sir, 
Which 'tis not fit you know, I not acquaint 
My father of this business. Shak., W. T., iv. 3. 
Though you are so averse to my acquainting Lady Teazle 
with your passion for Maria, I'm sure she's not your enemy 
in the affair. Sheridmi, School for Scandal, iv. 3. 
= Syn. 1. To acquaint (with), 'make known (to), familiar- 
ize (with), introduce (to). 2. To inform (of), communicate 
(to), apprise (of), mention (to), signify (to), intimate (to), 
disclose (to), reveal (to), tell (to). See announce and in- 
form. 
Il.t intrans. To become acquainted. 
The inanere 
How they aqueynteden in fere. 
Chaucer, House of Fame, 1. 250. 
acquaintablet (a-kwan'ta-bl), a. [< OF. acoiit- 
taole, later accoin table, " acquaintable, easie to 
be acquainted or familiar with" (Cotgrave), 
< acointer, make known : see acquaint, v.] Easy 
to be acquainted with; affable. Horn, of Rose. 
acquaintance (a-kwan'tans), n. [< ME. aquayn- 
tance, aqueyntance, intimacy, personal know- 
ledge, friendship (not used in the concrete 
sense of a person known), < OF. acointance, 
later accointance, "acquaintance, conversation 
or commerce with " (Cotgrave), < acointer, make 
known: see acquaint, p.] 1. The state of being 
acquainted, or of being more or less intimately 
conversant (used with reference to both per- 
sons and things) ; knowledge of ; experience 
in: used with irith, and formerly sometimes 
with of. 
Good Master Brook, I desire more acquaintance of you. 
Shale., M. W. of W., ii. 2. 
That general acquaintance with the mechanism and 
working of the living system which all persons, even 
moderately educated, should possess. 
Huxley and Youmans, Physiol., 368. 
I have a very general acquaintance here in New Eng- 
land. Hawthorne, Old Manse, i. 
2. A person known to one, especially a person 
with whom one is not on terms of great inti- 
macy : as, he is not a friend, only an acquain- 
tance. [This is the only sense which admits of 
a plural form.] 
We see he is ashamed of his nearest acquaintance*. 
C. Boyle, Bentley on Phalaris. 
Mere acquaintance you have none; you have drawn 
them all into a nearer line ; and they who have conversed 
with you, are for ever after inviolably yours. 
Dryden, Orig. and Prog, of Satire. 
3. The whole body of those with whom one is 
acquainted: used as a plural, as if for acquain- 
tances. See acquaintant. 
Mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. 
Job xix. 13. 
To cultivate one's acquaintance, to endeavor to be- 
come intimate with one. =Syn. 1. Acquaintance, Famil- 
iarity, Intimacy. Acquaintance, knowledge arising from 
occasional intercourse ; familiarity, knowledge arising 
from frequent or da-ily intercourse ; intimacy, unreserved 
intercourse, intercourse of the closest possible kind. 
52 
Nor was his acquaintance less with the famous poets of 
his age, than with the noblemen and ladies. Drydrn. 
The honour of Sheridan's familiarity or supposed fa- 
,,:il,:ir;tii was better to my godfather than money. 
Lamb, Sly first Play. 
The intimacy between the father of Eugenio and Agres- 
tis produced a tender friendship between his sister and 
Amelia. Hawkemorth, Adventurer, No. 64. 
acquaintanceship (a-kwan'tans-ship), n. The 
state of having acquaintance" 
acquaintantt (a-kwan'tant), n. [< acquaint 
+ -anti, after OF. acointant, ppr. of aeoiiiti-r, 
acquaint; prob. developed from acquaintance, 
with which, in sense 3, the pi. acquaintants 
would nearly coincide in pronunciation.] A 
person with whom one is acquainted. See ac- 
quaintance, 2. 
An acquaintant and a friend of Edmund Spenser. 
/. Walton. 
He and his readers are become old acqnaintants. 
Swift, Tale of a Till). 
acquainted (a-kwan'ted), p. a. [< acquaint + 
-erf 2 . Cf. acquaint, a.] 1. Having acquain- 
tance ; informed ; having personal knowledge. 
Fautk. What, is he much a&iuainted in the family? 
Abe. 0, very intimate. Sheridan, The Rivals, ii. 1. 
2f. Known ; familiarly known ; not new. 
Things acquainted and familiar to us. 
Shak., 2 Hen. IV., v. 2. 
acquaintedness (a-kwan'ted-nes), n. The 
state of being acquainted. [Rare.] 
acqn6reur (aia-rer'), n. [F., an acquirer, < ac- 
querir, acquire: see acquire.] In French and 
Canadian late, one who acquires title, particu- 
larly to immovable property, by purchase. 
acquest (a-kwesf), n. [< OF. acquest, F. ac- 
r/in'1 =\i. acquisto (ML. acquistuin), an acquisi- 
tion, purchase, < L. acqucesitum, usually acquisi- 
tum, a thing acquired, neut. pp. of acquirere, 
acquire : see acquire. Cf. conquest.] If. The 
act of acquiring ; acquirement: as, "countries 
of new acquest," Bacon. 2t. A thing gained; 
an acquisition ; a thing acquired by force : as, 
" new acquests and encroachments," Woodward, 
Nat. Hist. 3. In civil law: (a) Property ac- 
quired in other ways than by succession. (6) 
Property acquired during a marriage under the 
rule of community of property. [In this sense 
usually in the plural and spelled, as French, ac- 
qufts.] See conquet. 
acquetont, n. See acton. 
acquiesce (ak-wi-es'), v. i. ', pret. and pp. acqui- 
esced, ppr. acquiescing. [< F. acquiescer, to 
yield or agree unto, come to agreement, be at 
quiet, strive or stir no more " (Cotgrave), = It. 
acquiescere, < L. acquiescere, rest, repose in, find 
rest in, < ad, to, + quiescere, rest, < quits, rest : 
see quiesce and quiet.] If. To come to rest, or 
remain at rest. 
Which atoms are still hovering up and down, and never 
rest till they meet with some pores proportionable and 
cognate to their figures, where they acquiesce. 
Howeil, Letters, iv. 60. 
2. To agree ; consent ; tacitly assent ; quietly 
comply or submit : as, to acquiesce in an opin- 
ion, argument, or arrangement. 
Neauder sent his man with a letter to Theomachus, 
who acquiesced to the proposal. 
Gentleman Instructed, p. 123. 
Presuming on the unshaken submission of Hippolita, he 
flattered himself that she would . . . acquiesce with pa- 
tience to a divorce. Walpole, Castle of Otranto, i. 
Take the place and attitude which belong to you, and 
all men acquiesce. Emerson, Essays, 1st ser., p. 136. 
[In modern usage, acquiesce is generally followed by the 
preposition in; formerly to, with, and from were in use.] 
acquiescement (ak-wi-es'ment; F. pron. a- 
kyes'moii), n. [< F. "acquiescement, quiet- 
ness, also an agreement" (Cotgrave): see ac- 
quiesce and -ment.] In French and Canadian 
law, acquiescence ; free consent. 
acquiescence (ak-wi-es'ens), n. [= Sp. aquies- 
cencia = It. acquiescenza, < L. as if *acquiescentia, 
< acquiescen(t-)s, acquiescent: see acquiescent.] 
1. The act of acquiescing or giving tacit as- 
sent ; a silent submission, or submission with 
apparent consent. It is distinguished from avowed 
consent on the one hand, and from opposition or open dis- 
content on the other : as, an acquiescence in the decisions 
of a court, or in the allotments of Providence. 
With the inevitable acquiescence of all public servants, 
[he] resumes his composure and goes on. 
Hawthorne, Snow Image. 
There is a certain grave acquiescence in ignorance, a 
recognition of our impotence to solve momentous and 
urgent questions, which has a satisfaction of its own. 
.7. H. Newman, Gram, of Assent, p. 198. 
2. In law, such neglect to take legal proceed- 
ings in opposition to a matter as implies con- 
sent thereto. = Syn. Ament, Content, Concurrence, etc. 
(see assent), compliance, resignation. 
acquiry 
acquiescency (ak-wi-es'en-si), i. [See acqui- 
esce and -cyT] The state of being acquiescent ; 
a condition of silent submission or assent. 
acquiescent (ak-wi-es 'ent), a. [< L. an/ ni 
eseen(t-)s, ppr. of acquiescere : see acquiesce.] 
Disposed to acquiesce or yield ; submissive ; 
easy; unresisting. 
A man nearly sixty, of acquiescent temper, miscellane 
ous opinions, and uncertain vote. 
George Eliot, Sliddlemarch, I. 11. 
acquiescently (ak-wi-es'ent-li), adv. In an ac- 
quiescent manner. 
acquiescingly (ak-wi-es'ing-li), adv. In an ac- 
quiescing manner; acquiescently. 
acquiett (a-kwi'et), v. t. [< ML. acquietare, 
quiet, settle: see acquit.] To render quiet; 
compose ; set at rest. 
.IcymVf his mind from stirring you. 
Sir A. Shirley, Travels. 
acquirability (a-kwir-a-bil'i-ti), . The quality 
of being acquirable. Paley. [Rare.] 
acquirable (a-kwir'a-bl), a. [(acquire + -nblr. 
Cf. Sp. adqiiirible, Pg. adquirivel.] Capable of 
being acquired. 
acquire (a-kwir'), v. t.; pret. and pp. acquired. 
ppr. acquiring. [< ME. aqwere (rare), < OF. ac- 
qucrre, later aquerir. F. acquerir, acquire, get, 
= Sp. Pg. adquirir, < L. acquarere, a collateral 
form of acquirere, acquire, get, obtain, < ad, to, + 
quarere, seek : see query. The E. word is now 
spelled with i instead of e, to bring it nearer to 
the Latin. Cf. inquire, require.] To get or 
gain, the object being something which is more 
or less permanent, or which becomes vested or 
inherent in the subject: as, to acquire a title, 
estate, learning, habits, skill, dominion, etc.; 
to acquire a stammer; sugar acquires a brown 
color by being burned. A mere temporary posses- 
sion is not expressed by acquire, but by obtain, procure, 
etc. : as, to obtain (not acquire) a book on loan. 
Descent is the title whereby a man, on the death of his 
ancestor, acquires his estate by right of representation, as 
his heir at law. Blackstone. 
Having been left in a greater degree than others to man- 
age their own affairs, the English people have become 
self-helping, and have acquired great practical ability. 
H. Spencer, Social Statics, p. 429. 
Men acquire faculties by practice. 
W. K. Clifford, Lectures, I. 94. 
The young demand thoughts that find an echo in their 
real and not their acquired nature, and care very little 
about the dress they are put in. 
Lowell, Study Windows, p. 408. 
Acquired logic. See logic. =Syn. To get, obtain, gain, 
attain, procure, win, earn, secure, gather, master, leani. 
See attain. 
acquirement (a-kwir'ment), . 1. The act of 
acquiring; especially, the gaining of knowledge 
or mental attributes. 
It is very difficult to lay down rules for the acquirement 
of such a taste. Addison, Spectator, No. 409. 
2. That which is acquired ; attainment: com- 
monly in the plural. 
His acquirements by industry were enriched and en- 
larged by many excellent endowments of nature. 
Sir J. Hayward, Raigne of Edward VI. 
= Syn. 1. Gathering, gaining. 2. Acquirements, Acqui- 
sitions, Attainments, Accomplishments, Endowments, 
Enduements ; gain, resources. Acquisitions is the most 
general term, but it is gradually being restricted to ma- 
terial gains. Attainments denotes exclusively intellec- 
tual or moral acquisitions : as, a man of great attainments ; 
his spiritual attainments were high. Actfuirements has 
nearly the same meaning as attainments, though it is 
sometimes loosely used as equivalent to acquisitions; it 
has more direct reference to particular things acquired : 
as, skill in boxing was among his acquirements. Accom- 
plishments are attainments or acquirements, particularly 
such as fit the possessor for society : as, French, dancing, 
and music were the sum of her accomplishments. En- 
dowments are the gifts of nature, as genius or aptitude. 
Enduements are endowments, acquirements, or attain- 
ments in the field of moral and spiritual life, but they are 
opposed to attainments in being regarded as gifts from 
heaven rather than as the result of personal endeavor. 
See endueZ. 
When you are disposed to be vain of your mental ac- 
quirements, look up to those who are more accomplished 
than yourself. Dr. J. Moore. 
Interference has been sanctioned, . . . either in the 
purely domestic concerns of a nation, or with respect to 
its foreign relations and territorial acquisitions. 
Encyc. Brit., XIII. 192. 
It Is In general more profitable to reckon up our defects 
than to boast of our attainments. Carlyle, Essays. 
I danced the polka and cellarius, 
Spun glass, stuffed birds, and modeled flowers in wax, 
Because she liked accomplishments in girls. 
Mrs. Broirning, Aurora Leigh, i. 1. 
He ought to think no man valuable but for his public 
spirit, justice, and integrity ; and all other endowments 
to be esteemed only as they contribute to the exerting 
those virtues. Steele, Spectator, No. 340. 
acquirer (a-kwir'er), H. One who acquires, 
acquiryt (a-kwir'i), . [< acquire + -y, after in- 
quiry.] Acquirement. 
No art requireth more hard study and pain toward the 
aequiryat it than contentment. Barrow, Sermons, III. 2. 
