I just got corrected for using the word ‘acquirements’ (as in the action of acquiring something). Poster said it should be ‘acquisitions’. I replied ‘either or’ because the definition of my choice is as stated above in brackets.
I've never seen acquirements used before but that doesn't mean you can't. Might come off as ignorant if there isn't a stylistic imperative for it, though. Those nonstandard words stick out if they don't bring some quirky, offbeat friends with them.
I've never heard of the word, and I'd be inclined to use 'procurement' which I've seen before but this may be regional or industry specific. I wouldn't use 'acquirement' in a fictional story unless it was specific jargon used within the universe by the characters.
The Cambridge English Dictionary notes: count noun Something acquired, typically a skill. ‘It is, in the medieval sense of the term, a masterpiece - meaning, an exemplification of talents and acquirements, offered by their possessor as a gift to the onlooker, and a proof of attainment.’
It seems like "acquisitions" relates to tangible objects, whereas "acquirements" seems to relate to intangibles.
I would have said that perhaps "acquirement" is British English -- largely because I am American and I have never encountered the word. As usual, had I said that I would have been wrong. I still regard Merriam-Webster as the most authoritative dictionary of American English, so I consulted Merriam-Webster on-line. Sure enough: More surprising (to me, but apparently not to many of you) is that "acquirements" is not a synonym for "acquisitions."
