From Latin 'acer' (sharp) — bitterness treated as a form of sharpness, sharing a root with 'acrid' and 'acumen.'
Definition
Bitterness or ill feeling, especially in speech or manner.
The Full Story
Latin1540swell-attested
From Latin 'ācrimōnia' (sharpness, pungency, bitterness), from 'ācer' (sharp, bitter, pungent, keen), from PIE *h₂eḱ- (sharp, pointed). ThePIEroot *h₂eḱ- is remarkably productive: it gave Latin 'acus' (needle), 'acuere' (to sharpen), 'acūmen' (a sharp point, then mental sharpness), 'acidus' (sour, literally 'sharp to taste'), and 'aciēs' (edge, battle line). In Greek, the same root produced
to its modern sense of bitter, cutting hostility between people. Related English words from the same root include 'acrid,' 'acumen,' 'acute,' 'acid,' 'acme,' and 'eager' (via Old French 'aigre,' sharp). Key roots: acri (Latin: "From Latin 'ācrimōnia' meaning 'sharpnes").