English
acuate
Acuate comes from Latin acuere ‘to sharpen’, from acus ‘needle’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-1‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱus1‘pointed’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacus2‘needle’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacuere2‘to sharpen’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500acuātus2
- Englishearliest quotation 1764acuate2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin acus
- 2 Wiktionary, English acuate
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1764, Edward Herbert: “wicked dispositions shou'd have knowledge to acuate their ill…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-Wiktionary, Latin acus‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱusWiktionary, Latin acus‘pointed’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacusWiktionary, English acuate‘needle’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacuereWiktionary, English acuate‘to sharpen’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500acuātusWiktionary, English acuate
- Englishearliest quotation 1764acuateWiktionary, English acuate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1764, Edward Herbert: “wicked dispositions shou'd have knowledge to acuate their ill…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’
hear, edge, egg, ear, hammer, acid, eager, axe, oxide, vinegar, mediocre, acne, mediocrity, paragon, hark, acacia, acme, acetate, acumen, exacerbate, acuity, acyl, roselle, rosacea, acrimony, acrid, acerbic, exacerbation, 71 more
through Latin acus ‘needle’
Today it means
adj Sharpened; sharp-pointed.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “acuate”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin acus. 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- / acuate