acid English · revision 5151

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1626|origins=la acidus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈæs.ɪd/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fr|acide]] or directly from [[la|acidus|t=sour, sharp]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) from acēre “to be sour”,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(NODE 1998) from [[ine-pro|*h₂eḱ-|alt=*ak-|t=to be sharp, pierce]].^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) It is related to [[acrid]], [[acerbic]] and [[acetic]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Sour, tasting of vinegar: 1626, in Francis Bacon's Sylva Sylvarum, where sorrel is called “a cold and acid herb”.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The noun is from the 1690s (1696 in Barnhart).^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) At first it was any sour substance, and in chemistry it was gradually defined more precisely from the early 18th century, so that it now covers compounds that do not taste sour.^(Etymonline)^(Cresswell 2021) The figurative sense, sharp or biting, is from 1775,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and of intense colours by 1916.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) ''Acid drop'' is by 1835,^(Etymonline) and the ''acid test'', testing gold with nitric acid, is American English from 1881.^(Etymonline)^(Cresswell 2021) ''Acid rain'' is recorded by 1859, of England.^(Etymonline) The slang sense “LSD” is from 1966.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1626 – sour.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1696 – noun.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1775 – figurative, biting.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1859 – ''acid rain''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1881 – ''acid test''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1966 – slang, LSD.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(chemistry)'' A substance that reacts with a [[base]] to form a salt, turns litmus red, and in water gives hydrogen ions.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A sour substance.^(AHD)

+ # ''(slang)'' LSD.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Sour in taste.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Containing or relating to acid.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Sharp or [[sarcastic]]: ''acid remarks''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[acidly]]

+ * [[acidness]]

+ * [[acidy]]

+ * [[acid-fast]]

+ * [[acidhead]]

+ * [[acidic]]

+ * [[acidify]]

+ * [[acidimeter]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[acetic]]

+ * [[acidity]]

+ * [[acrid]]

+ * [[acerbic]]

+ * [[acute]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}