English
acuity
Acuity comes from Medieval Latin acuitas, from Latin acuō ‘sharpen’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-‘sharp’root as named
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacuō‘sharpen’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500acuitas
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600acuité
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500acuite
- Englishearliest quotation 2011acuity
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-‘sharp’root as named
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacuō‘sharpen’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500acuitas
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600acuité
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500acuite
- Englishearliest quotation 2011acuity
Earliest quotation: 2011, John Cassidy, Mastering the Machine: “And yet [Ray] Dalio’s acuity prompts an awkward question:…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’
hear, edge, egg, ear, hammer, acid, eager, axe, oxide, vinegar, mediocre, acne, paragon, acetate, hark, mediocrity, exacerbate, acacia, acupuncture, acme, acumen, acyl, roselle, rosacea, acrimony, exacerbation, acrid, acerbic, 72 more
through Latin acuō ‘sharpen’
Today it means
noun Sharpness or acuteness, as of a needle, wit, etc.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- / acuity