acquisitive

Summary

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day – "acquisitive" (July 5, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day introduces listeners to the adjective "acquisitive." Host Peter Sokolowski explores the word's definition, its historical and linguistic background, comparisons with related terms such as "acquire" and "acquisition," and provides an illustrative sentence from classical literature. The focus is on enriching listeners' vocabulary and deepening their understanding of how "acquisitive" fits into English usage.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Definition and Pronunciation

• Word of the day: acquisitive
• Spelling: A-C-Q-U-I-S-I-T-I-V-E
• Definition: "Someone or something described as acquisitive is characterized by a strong desire to own or acquire more things."
  (00:15)

Example in Context

• Literary Example:
  “Here’s the word used in a sentence from the daily: the Athenians say the Corinthians in Thucydides’ history are innovative, adventurous, swift to action, acquisitive, and keen to expand their empire.”
  — Peter Sokolowski (00:33)

Connections to Related Words

• Comparison with Synonyms:
  “While ‘acquisitive’ is a useful synonym to the likes of ‘greedy’ and ‘avaricious,’ it’s relatively unknown compared to its more popular lexical relations, ‘acquire’ and ‘acquisition.’“
  — Peter Sokolowski (00:48)

• Definition of Related Words:

  • Acquire: “Most often used to mean ‘to get as one's own,’ as in ‘skills acquired through practice.’”
  • Acquisition: “Refers either to the act of acquiring something, as in ‘the acquisition of skills,’ or to something acquired or gained, as in ‘the museum’s recent acquisitions.’”
    — Peter Sokolowski (00:57–01:11)

Etymology and Historical Use

• Latin Origin:
  “All three have as their ultimate source the Latin word aquirire, meaning ‘to acquire.’”
  — Peter Sokolowski (01:13)

• Chronology:
  “While ‘acquire’ and ‘acquisition’ have both been in use since the 15th century, ‘acquisitive’ is a bit younger. The word has a somewhat rare use meaning ‘capable of acquiring’ that dates to the late 16th century, but its ‘greedy’ meaning dates only to the early 19th century.”
  — Peter Sokolowski (01:24–01:44)

Closing: Encouragement for Further Exploration

• “With your word of the day, I’m Peter Sokolowski.” (01:51)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the subtlety of “acquisitive”:
  “While ‘acquisitive’ is a useful synonym to the likes of ‘greedy’ and ‘avaricious,’ it’s relatively unknown compared to its more popular lexical relations, ‘acquire’ and ‘acquisition.’”
  — Peter Sokolowski (00:48)

• On linguistic roots:
  “All three have as their ultimate source the Latin word aquirire, meaning ‘to acquire.’”
  — Peter Sokolowski (01:13)

• On the word’s evolution:
  “The word has a somewhat rare use meaning ‘capable of acquiring’ that dates to the late 16th century, but its ‘greedy’ meaning dates only to the early 19th century.”
  — Peter Sokolowski (01:38)

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Timeline of Important Segments

• 00:14 — Introduction of the word “acquisitive”
• 00:15–00:32 — Definition and spelling
• 00:33 — Example sentence from Thucydides
• 00:48 — Comparison to other synonyms and related words
• 00:57–01:11 — Definitions of ‘acquire’ and ‘acquisition’
• 01:13 — Etymology (Latin origin)
• 01:24–01:44 — History of use and evolution of meaning
• 01:51 — Host sign-off

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For Listeners

Whether you’re enhancing your vocabulary or interested in the story behind the words, this episode delivers a compact, insightful exploration of “acquisitive”—what it means, where it comes from, and how it connects to both familiar and less familiar English words.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. It's the word of the day for July 5th. Today's word is

[B]

acquisitive,

[A]

spelled A C, Q, U I S I T I V E. Acquisitive is an adjective someone or something described as acquisitive is characterized by a strong desire to own or acquire more things. Here's the word used in a sentence from the daily the Athenians say the Corinthians in Thucydides history are innovative, adventurous, swift to action, acquisitive and keen to expand their empire. While acquisitive is a useful synonym to the likes of greedy and avaricious, it's relatively unknown compared to its more popular lexical relations, acquire and acquisition. The former of that pair is most often used to mean to get as one's own, as in skills acquired through practice. The latter refers either to the act of acquiring something, as in the acquisition of skills, or to something acquired or gained, as in the museum's recent acquisitions. All three have as their ultimate source the Latin word aquirire, meaning to acquire. While acquire and acquisition have both been in use since since the 15th century, acquisitive is a bit younger. The word has a somewhat rare use meaning capable of acquiring that dates to the late 16th century, but its greedy meaning dates only to the early 19th century. With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.

[B]

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