Where does “acuity” come from?
Acuity comes from Middle French acuité, from Latin acus meaning sharpness, derived from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱ- meaning to be sharp or pointed.
acuity (English): Sharpness or acuteness, as of a needle, wit, etc
Definitions
- Sharpness or acuteness, as of a needle, wit, etc
Ancestry of “acuity”, step by step
acuity traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle French acuité
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | acuité | — |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | acuitas | — |
| 3 | Latin | acuō | to make pointed, sharpen, whet |
| 4 | Latin | acus | a needle, a pin; bodkin; bran, awn, chaff |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | akus | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eḱus | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eḱ- | sharp |
via Latin acuo
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | acuo | I make pointed, sharpen, whet; I exercise,... |