Variations on a Theme Words From ac, acr, acu

Acid is from the Latin adjective acidus, meaning sharp, sour. It has the same root as acer  keen, sharp. Even in Latin acid(us) had both modern meaning: sour-tasting and sour in temperament, disagreeable. From acid come words such as acidify and acidity.
Acrid also uses the Latin suffix -id, meaning with a particular quality. Acrid is used mainly to describe smells and tastes: acrid smoke.
Acerbic comments are harsh, bitter, and cutting. They might be made during an acrimonious dispute  one full of bitterness and acrimony.
Acute comes from a Latin word meaning sharpened or coming to a sharp point. So an acute angle is one that is less than 90 degrees. Hence the word came to mean reaching a crisis, critical and also intense, to the point. We speak of a problem as becoming acute; of a toothache as giving us acute pain; or of a person as having an acute mind or being acutely aware of something.
Acuity is sharpness of mind and quickness of understanding. Acumen too, though it is usually a long-term quality, like shrewdness.
Acupuncture is the sharp puncturing of the skin with needles.
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