English
acumen
Acumen comes from Latin acūmen ‘sharp point’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-‘sharp’root as named
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacūmen‘sharp point’
- Englishearliest quotation 1842acumen
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-‘sharp’root as named
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEacūmen‘sharp point’
- Englishearliest quotation 1842acumen
Earliest quotation: 1842, anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizab, Keeping up Appearances. […]: “I am going to ask you a question that…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’
hear, edge, egg, ear, acid, eager, hammer, axe, oxide, vinegar, acute, acne, mediocre, paragon, mediocrity, acetate, hark, exacerbate, acacia, acupuncture, acuity, acme, acyl, roselle, rosacea, acrimony, exacerbation, acrid, acerbic, 72 more
Today it means
noun Quickness of perception or discernment; penetration of mind; the faculty of nice discrimination; acuity of mind.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- / acumen