[a. 16th c. Fr. acquest, mod. acquêt, OFr. aquest:—late L. acquīst-um, acquīsit-um for acquīsīt-um, pa. pple. (used subst.) of acquīr-ĕre, see ACQUIRE. The parallel form ACQUIST follows the med.L. acquīstum, It. acquisto, and has been more generally used for the action or process, while acquest is commonly used for the thing acquired, in which sense it is used in Fr. and in jurisprudence.]
1. A thing acquired, an acquisition.
1622. Bacon, Hen. VII., 97. New Acquests are more Burthen, then Strength.
1622. Heylin, Cosmogr. (1682), I. 156. Being all (except Bretagne) the first acquests of the French.
1630. Howell, Lett. (1650), I. 385. The Romans sent legions … partly to secure their new acquests.
1671. F. Philipps, Reg. Necess., 536. That Earthly Honor which his great Acquests in the Study and Practice of the Law had gained him.
a. 1734. North, Examen, III. vi. § 95. 494. Mentioning the French King’s Acquests in Flanders.
1864. Sir F. Palgrave, Norm. & Eng., IV. 11. England … was an acquest fully subject to the Conqueror’s disposal.
† 2. The action of acquiring. More commonly written ACQUIST. See also QUEST, to which this sense often approached. Obs.
1613. Sir A. Sherley, Trav. to Persia, 100. When if there be anything acquisited, the distribution of the members of that bodie is such, vpon whom the acquest is to be made, that there is no possible pretendence from one to the others getting.
1652. M. Needham, trans. Selden’s Mare Cl., 425. The detaining of the said people with their goods as also his suagement and award for the forfeiture and acquest of them, he hath justified before you.
1684. J. Scott, Chr. Life (ed. 3), 173. We are in the Acquest, and they in the Possession of the heavenly Canaan.
1713. Derham, Physico-Theol., IV. xi. 206. The peculiar structure of the principal Parts acting in the acquest of their Food.
1787. J. Barlow, Oration, 4 July, 16. He was … one of our principal supporters in the acquest of Independence.
3. Law. Property gained by purchase, or gift, or otherwise than by inheritance.
