acquisition-n; 4 Senses

Sense Number 1: the process of developing an ability or skill

Commentary: ACQUISITION[+process][+development][+trait][+inherent]

Examples:
Sally has written a book on the language acquisition of deaf-mute children.
The acquisition of these pottery techniques will take years of practice.
The acquisition of an opposable thumb was an important evolutionary development.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 3, 4

Sense Number 2: the process of gaining possession of wealth. often of corporations

Commentary: ACQUISITION[+process][+ownership][+asset][+external]
NOTE: usually (always?) singular form, often as the phrase 'acquisition of X'

Examples:
The acquisition of national oil companies by a Chinese firm may be blocked by the Justice Department.
My grandfather's acquisition of wealth took many decades to achieve.
Their acquisition by Big Airways did not solve any of the smaller airline's financial woes.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1

Sense Number 3: external assets which have been possessed or transferred

Commentary: ACQUISITION[+entity][+possession][+transferred]
NOTE: often occurs in the plural form.

Examples:
Two early Rembrandts are among the museum's recent acquisitions.
That computer company made four acquisitions last year, two of them in storage technology.
Getting John to come on board would be a nice acquisition for our sales team.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 2

Sense Number 4: none of the above

Commentary: Automatically generated NOTA sense (bbn)

Examples:

Mappings: