aceo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈa.ke.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈaː.t͡ʃe.o]^[1]

Forms

aceō (present infinitive acēre, perfect active acuī); second conjugation, no passive, no supine stem^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *akēje/o-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-eh₁- (“to be sharp”), a stative verb from the root *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”).^[2][1] De Vaan thinks the Latin verb was derived from the PIE nominal root, and its derivatives belong to a productive Latin system.^[2] The OLD compares ācer “sharp”, and the TLL acerbus and acuō.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Cato, who uses it of wine that should not turn sour (vīnum quod neque aceat neque mūceat).^[2][5] Köbler dates Cato 234–149 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant, of wine, to be sour.^[3][7] Lewis & Short also give a figurative Late Latin use, to be disagreeable, in Sidonius.^[5] Its derivatives were more common: acētum “vinegar” and acidus “sour” from Plautus on, and acor “sourness” from Columella on.^[2]

Timeline

• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of wine.^[2][5][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. (of wine) To be sour.^[3]

Word family

• acēscō
• acētum
• acidus
• acisco
• acor

Related words

• acidē
• aciditās
• acidulus
• aciēs
• ācer
• acus
• occa
• ocris
• acuō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.