English
acetum
Acetum comes from Latin acētum ‘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’
- Englishtodayacetum1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English acetum
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-Wiktionary, English acetum‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱéh₁yetiWiktionary, English acetumreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*akēōWiktionary, English acetumreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaceōWiktionary, English acetum‘to be sour’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacēscōWiktionary, English acetum‘to become sour, to turn sour’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacētumWiktionary, English acetum‘vinegar’
- EnglishtodayacetumWiktionary, English acetum
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’
hear, edge, egg, ear, hammer, eager, axe, acute, oxide, vinegar, mediocre, acne, mediocrity, paragon, hark, acacia, acupuncture, acme, exacerbate, acuity, acumen, acrimony, acrid, exacerbation, rosacea, acerbic, 70 more
through Proto-Italic *akēō
through Latin aceō ‘to be sour’
through Latin acētum ‘vinegar’
Today it means
noun Vinegar, sometimes medicated.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “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- / acetum