Etymologically
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acer

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈaː.kɛr][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈaː.t͡ʃer][1]

Forms

ācer (feminine ācris, neuter ācre, comparative ācrior, superlative ācerrimus, adverb ācriter); third-declension three-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *ā̆kri- (“sharp”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-ro- (“sharp”), from the root *h₂eḱ- “sharp” of aciēs and acus.[2][1] Cognate with Oscan akrid (“sharply”), Ancient Greek ἄκρος (ákros, “highest, outermost”) and Lithuanian aštrus (“sharp”).[2][3] The change from an o-stem to an i-stem may come from ocris “rugged hill” and mediocris, and the long /ā/ is unexplained.[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Naevius, who has the old feminine nominative ācer, while Ennius has the masculine ācris.[2][3] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC and Ennius 204–169 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant sharp or pointed, and was applied to everything that strikes the senses sharply: pungent tastes and smells, piercing sounds, and bright, dazzling light, as Lucretius' glare that burns the eyes.[3] Of the senses it meant keen, as sight in Cicero is ācerrimus of the senses; of people, alert, shrewd, then spirited, eager and fierce in battle, and of things violent or severe.[3][5]

Döderlein notes that ācer denotes eagerness in a good sense, fire and energy, while vehemēns is used of heat and passion.[6] Vulgar Latin *ācrus gave Italian agro, Spanish agrio and Old French aigre, the source of English eager in the late 13th century, ācrimōnia gave English acrimony in the 1540s and English acrid was formed from ācer in 1712.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.[2][4]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius has the masculine ācris.[3][4]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius speaks of a glare that burns the eyes.[3][4]
  • late 13th century – English eager is recorded, from Old French aigre.[7]
  • 1540s – English acrimony is recorded.[7]
  • 1712 – English acrid is formed from it.[7]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Sharp, pointed.[3]
  2. (of tastes, smells, sounds) pungent, piercing, (of light) bright, dazzling.[3]
  3. (of the senses) Keen, acute.[3]
  4. Alert, vigilant.[3]
  5. Shrewd, penetrating.[3]
  6. Spirited, eager, fierce (in action or battle); violent, severe.[5][8]

Word family

  • acerbus
  • acredo
  • acriculus
  • ācrimōnia
  • ācritās
  • ācritūdō
  • acror
  • perācer
  • subacer
  • acernus
  • ācriter

Usage notes

Acer, aceris (with short a), neuter, is a different word, “maple”, from Proto-Italic *aker-, cognate with Old High German ahorn (“maple”); it is found from Ovid on.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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 d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  7. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.