acerbo

Forms

acerbō (present infinitive acerbāre, perfect active acerbāvī, supine acerbātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin acerbus + -ō, from the adjective meaning “bitter, harsh”.^[2][1] De Vaan connects acerbus with the adjective ācer² (“sharp”), both going back to the root Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest record is in Virgil's Aeneid, where a speaker is said to aggravate a charge with fear, formidine crimen acerbat.^[4][2]

Semantic evolution

The verb remained very rare.^[4] Statius uses it for spoiling something welcome, joys that are embittered, and for aggravating a crime,^[2][4] and Valerius Flaccus for making a death more painful.^[2] The prefixed exacerbō, “to irritate, provoke”, is the source of English exacerbate.^[5]

Timeline

• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of aggravating a charge.^[4][2][6]
• c. 45–96 AD – Statius uses it of embittered joys and of a crime made worse.^[2][4][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To make (a person) bitter, embitter.^[2][1]
2. To make (something pleasant) disagreeable.^[2][4]
3. To make (a misfortune or pain) worse, aggravate.^[2][4]

Word family

• exacerbō
• obacerbō
• inacerbō

Related words

• acerbē
• acerbitās
• acerbitūdō
• acerbus

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de