Etymograph

English

acerbic

Acerbic comes from Latin acerbus ‘sour, bitter’, from Proto-Italic *akris ‘sharp’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-1‘sharp’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱrós1‘sharp’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*akris1‘sharp’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*akriðos1reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacerbus1‘sour, bitter’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1986acerbic1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English acerbic
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1986, West Germany: Last Taunts From the Lip: “Supercompetent, superconfident and supercritical, Schmidt is a gifted orator…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-Wiktionary, English acerbic‘sharp’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱrósWiktionary, English acerbic‘sharp’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*akrisWiktionary, English acerbic‘sharp’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*akriðosWiktionary, English acerbicreconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacerbusWiktionary, English acerbic‘sour, bitter’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1986acerbicWiktionary, English acerbic. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1986, West Germany: Last Taunts From the Lip: “Supercompetent, superconfident and supercritical, Schmidt is a gifted orator…”

The story

Attested since the 17th century, from Latin acerbus (‘sour, bitter’).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’

hear, edge, egg, ear, acid, hammer, axe, acute, oxide, acne, paragon, acupuncture, hark, acacia, acetate, acumen, acme, acuity, acyl, roselle, rosacea, 72 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós ‘sharp’

mediocre, mediocrity, 13 more

through Proto-Italic *akris ‘sharp’

eager, vinegar, acrimony, acrid, 7 more

through Latin acerbus ‘sour, bitter’

exacerbate, exacerbation, 5 more

Today it means

adj Tasting sour or bitter.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “acerbic”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- / acerbic

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