acquisita

Acquisita is the feminine singular form of the Italian adjective acquisito, meaning acquired or gained through effort, experience, or time. It is used to describe something that has been obtained or developed rather than innate.

In contemporary Italian, acquisita commonly accompanies feminine nouns. Examples include conoscenze acquisite (acquired knowledge), competenze acquisite (acquired skills), and esperienze acquisite (acquired experiences). The masculine form is acquisito, and the plural forms are acquisiti (masc.) and acquisite (fem., for feminine plural nouns like conoscenze acquisite).

In legal and policy discourse, the related term diritti acquisiti (acquired rights) is widely used. It denotes rights that have already been established and protected by law, often implying that they cannot be removed or altered retroactively. This concept helps ensure legal certainty and stability in constitutional or administrative contexts.

Etymology-wise, acquisita derives from Latin acquisitus, the past participle of acquisire, meaning to acquire. The Italian form reflects standard Romance-language patterns of agreement between adjectives and the nouns they modify and shares its root with related words in other languages that express the notion of something that has been gained.

See also acquisizione, the noun for acquisition; acquire, acquired rights, and acquisitive as related terms in broader discussion of obtaining or gaining.