English
acetable
Acetable comes from Latin acetabulum ‘acetabulum, a saucer for vinegar’, from acēscō ‘to become sour, to turn sour’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-1‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱéh₁yeti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*akēō1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaceō1‘to be sour’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacēscō1‘to become sour, to turn sour’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacētum1‘vinegar’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacetabulum2‘acetabulum, a saucer for vinegar’
- Englishtodayacetable2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin acetabulum
- 2 Wiktionary, English acetable
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-Wiktionary, Latin acetabulum‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱéh₁yetiWiktionary, Latin acetabulumreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*akēōWiktionary, Latin acetabulumreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaceōWiktionary, Latin acetabulum‘to be sour’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacēscōWiktionary, Latin acetabulum‘to become sour, to turn sour’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacētumWiktionary, Latin acetabulum‘vinegar’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacetabulumWiktionary, English acetable‘acetabulum, a saucer for vinegar’
- EnglishtodayacetableWiktionary, English acetable
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’
hear, edge, egg, ear, hammer, eager, axe, acute, oxide, vinegar, mediocre, acne, mediocrity, paragon, acupuncture, hark, acacia, acumen, acme, exacerbate, acuity, acrimony, acrid, exacerbation, rosacea, acerbic, 71 more
through Proto-Italic *akēō
through Latin aceō ‘to be sour’
through Latin acētum ‘vinegar’
Today it means
noun An ancient Roman measure, equivalent to about one eighth of a pint.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “acetable”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin acetabulum. 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- / acetable