Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “acerbity” come from?

Acerbity comes from French acerbité, from Latin acerbitas, from Latin acerbus meaning sharp or sour, from Latin acer, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ḱrós, ultimately from the root h₂eḱ-.

acerbity (English): Sourness of taste, with bitterness and...

Definitions

  1. Sourness of taste, with bitterness and...

Ancestry of “acerbity”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchacerbitéacerbity
2Latinacerbitās—
3Latinacerbusharsh, bitter, unripe, sour, premature, not yet...
4Latinācer—
5Latinsaccharumsugar
6Ancient Greekσάκχαρsugar; sugar cane
7Sanskritशर्कराgravel, grit, pebbles, shingle, gravelly mould or...
8Proto-Indo-AryanśárkaraH—
9Proto-Indo-IranianćárkaraH—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanḱorkeh₂gravel, boulder; boulder; gravel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱorkeh₂ →