The process of getting or acquiring something, often through effort or request.
From Latin 'obtinere' (ob- meaning 'against' + tenere meaning 'to hold'). The meaning evolved from 'to hold against' to 'to gain possession of' in Medieval Latin.
The root 'tenere' meaning 'to hold' shows up everywhere in English—contain, maintain, retain, sustain—all meaning to 'hold' something in different ways! Understanding root words is like finding cheat codes for vocabulary.
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