English

Verb

gotten

1. (now chiefly Canada, US, Ireland, Northern British) past participle of get

Usage notes

The American and archaic British usage of the verb conjugates as get-got-gotten or as get-got-got depending on the meaning (see Usage notes on "get" for details), whereas the modern British usage of the verb has largely lost this distinction and conjugates as get-got-got in most cases except, sometimes, where the speaker wants to emphasise getting something. There is an increased usage of gotten than there was in the past in the UK which may be due to influence from American usage via films and increased access to American programmes in Britain but it is still less common than the get-got-got conjugation.

Adjective

gotten ‎(not comparable)

1. (mostly in combination) obtained, acquired

Derived terms

• ill-gotten