Etymograph

English

acrid

Acrid comes from Latin ācris, from ācer ‘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*h₂eḱrós2‘sharp’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*akris2‘sharp’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEācer3‘sharp’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEācris3
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2005acrid3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin acer
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English acrid
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2005, Christopher Paolini, The Nature of Evil: “At that instant, Eragon's back ruptured in an explosion…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós‘sharp’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱrósWiktionary, Latin acer‘sharp’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*akrisWiktionary, Latin acer‘sharp’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEācerWiktionary, English acrid‘sharp’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEācrisWiktionary, English acrid
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2005acridWiktionary, English acrid. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2005, Christopher Paolini, The Nature of Evil: “At that instant, Eragon's back ruptured in an explosion…”

The story

From Latin ācris, from ācer (‘sharp’); probably assimilated in form to acid.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

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

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

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós ‘sharp’

mediocre, mediocrity, 13 more

through Proto-Italic *akris ‘sharp’

exacerbate, exacerbation, acerbic, 7 more

through Latin ācer ‘sharp’

eager, vinegar, acrimony, 7 more

Today it means

adj Sharp and harsh, or bitter and not to the taste.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “acrid”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós, Latin acer. 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- / acrid

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