English
acetify
Acetify comes from Latin acetum ‘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 CEacēscō2‘to become sour, to turn sour’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacetum3‘vinegar’
- Englishtodayacetify3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin acesco
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin acetum
- 3 Wiktionary, English acetify
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-Wiktionary, Latin acesco‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱéh₁yetiWiktionary, Latin acescoreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*akēōWiktionary, Latin acescoreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaceōWiktionary, Latin acesco‘to be sour’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacēscōWiktionary, Latin acetum‘to become sour, to turn sour’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacetumWiktionary, English acetify‘vinegar’
- EnglishtodayacetifyWiktionary, English acetify
Formed from fy
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, rosacea, acerbic, exacerbation, 70 more
through Proto-Italic *akēō
through Latin aceō ‘to be sour’
through Latin acetum ‘vinegar’
Today it means
verb To convert into acid or vinegar.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “acetify”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin acesco, Latin acetum. 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- / acetify