English
acrimony
Acrimony comes from Latin ācrimōnia ‘sharpness, pungency’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱrós‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*akris‘sharp’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEācer‘sharp, sour, bitter, pungent’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEācrimōnia‘sharpness, pungency’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600acrimonie
- Englishearliest quotation 1826acrimony
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱrós‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*akris‘sharp’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEācer‘sharp, sour, bitter, pungent’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEācrimōnia‘sharpness, pungency’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600acrimonie
- Englishearliest quotation 1826acrimony
Earliest quotation: 1826, Mary Shelley: “In her resentful mood, these expressions had been remembered…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’
hear, edge, egg, ear, acid, hammer, axe, acute, oxide, acne, acetate, acupuncture, paragon, hark, acacia, acumen, acme, acuity, acyl, roselle, rosacea, 72 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós ‘sharp’
through Proto-Italic *akris ‘sharp’
exacerbate, acerbic, exacerbation, 7 more
through Latin ācer ‘sharp, sour, bitter, pungent’
Today it means
noun A sharp and bitter hatred.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- / acrimony