different between acquirement vs competence

English

Etymology

From acquire +? -ment.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??kwa??(?)m?nt/

Noun

acquirement (countable and uncountable, plural acquirements)

1. (now rare, chiefly in the plural) Something that has been acquired; an attainment or accomplishment. [from 17th c.]
   • 1630, John Hayward, The Life, and Riagne of King Edward the Sixt, London: John Partridge, p. 4,^[1]

     […] his acquirements by industrie were […] enriched and enlarged by many excellent endowments of nature.

   • 1748, Samuel Richardson, Clarissa, London: for the author, Volume 1, Letter 27, p. 177,^[2]

     If she can think, that the part she has had in your education, and your own admirable talents and acquirements, are to be thrown away upon such a worthless creature as Solmes, I could heartily quarrel with her.

   • 1838, Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, London: Richard Bentley, Volume 1, Chapter 18, p. 305,^[3]

     […] there was a degree of deference in his deportment toward that young gentleman which seemed to indicate that he felt himself conscious of a slight inferiority in point of genius and professional acquirements.

2. The act or fact of acquiring something; acquisition. [from 17th c.]

   • […] rules for the acquirement of a taste […]

   • 1952, Annual report of the Chief of Engineers U.S. Army

     At best, a considerable time elapses between authorization and land acquirement, during which land values may vary impredictably.

Synonyms

• (act of acquiring, or that which is acquired): acquisition

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French compétence, from Late Latin competentia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?mp?t?ns/

Noun

competence (countable and uncountable, plural competences)

1. (uncountable) The quality or state of being competent, i.e. able or suitable for a general role.
2. (countable) The quality or state of being able or suitable for a particular task; the quality or state of being competent for a particular task.
3. (linguistics) The system of linguistic knowledge possessed by native speakers of a language, as opposed to its actual use in concrete situations (performance), cf. w:linguistic competence.
4. (dated) A sustainable income.
5. (countable, law, politics) the legal authority to deal with a matter.
6. (geology) The degree to which a rock is resistant to deformation or flow.

Synonyms

• ability
• competency
• nous
• savoir-faire
• knack (colloq.)
• aptitude
• See also Thesaurus:skill

Antonyms

• inability
• ineptitude
• incompetence

Related terms

• compete
• competition
• competentness

Translations

References

• “competence” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.