English
aculeus
Aculeus comes from Latin aculeus ‘sting, stinger’, 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 CEaculeus3‘sting, stinger’
- Englishearliest quotation 1789aculeus3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin acus
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin aculeus
- 3 Wiktionary, English aculeus
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1789, Erasmus Darwin, The Loves of the Plants: “Many plants, like many animals, are furnished with arms…”.
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, Latin aculeus‘needle’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaculeusWiktionary, English aculeus‘sting, stinger’
- Englishearliest quotation 1789aculeusWiktionary, English aculeus. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1789, Erasmus Darwin, The Loves of the Plants: “Many plants, like many animals, are furnished with arms…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’
hear, edge, egg, ear, acid, hammer, eager, axe, oxide, vinegar, mediocre, acne, mediocrity, paragon, acetate, hark, acacia, exacerbate, acme, acumen, acuity, acyl, rosacea, acrimony, acrid, exacerbation, acerbic, roselle, 71 more
through Latin acus ‘needle’
Today it means
noun A sharp spike or other projection growing on a plant, as in some brambles and roses.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “aculeus”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin acus, Latin aculeus. 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- / aculeus