acerbic
/əˈseəbɪk/uh-SUH-bik
/əˈsɛɹbɪk/uh-SER-bik
Meaningsour, harsh
Common meaning: sharp and biting in tone
- acerbsour, unripe; harshLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 21 · scan
- icadjective ending: relating to
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Latin acerbus ‘sour, unripe; harsh’.
Roots
- acerbus, -a, -um Latin “sour, unripe; harsh”
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