2 uses
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Definition
obtain (come into the possession of something)
- For such is the wonderful skill, prescience of experience, and invincible confidence acquired by some great natural geniuses among the Nantucket commanders; that from the simple observation of a whale when last descried, they will, under certain given circumstances, pretty accurately foretell both the direction in which he will continue to swim for a time, while out of sight, as well as his probable rate of progression during that period.Chapters 133-135 — The Chase—First Day; The Chase—Second Day; The Chase—Third Day (33% in)
- ...to wit,—That as for the boat, he awarded it to the plaintiffs, because they had merely abandoned it to save their lives; but that with regard to the controverted whale, harpoons, and line, they belonged to the defendants; the whale, because it was a Loose-Fish at the time of the final capture; and the harpoons and line because when the fish made off with them, it (the fish) acquired a property in those articles; and hence anybody who afterwards took the fish had a right to them.Chapters 88-90 — Schools and Schoolmasters; Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish; Heads or Tails (58% in)
There are no more uses of "acquire" in Moby Dick.
Typical Usage
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