adjectivethird-declension three-termination adjective
ācer1
ācer (feminine ācris, neuter ācre, comparative ācrior, superlative ācerrimus, adverb ācriter)
Classical[ˈaː.kɛr]Ecclesiastical[ˈaː.t͡ʃer]
№ 587 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- three terminationsharp, sour, bitter, pungent
- three terminationkeen, sharp, acute, sagacious
- three terminationenergetic, active, vigorous
- three terminationeager, zealous, spirited
- three terminationsubtle
- three terminationsevere, violent, cruel, hot
- three terminationpenetrating, piercing
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
quī celeriter et fortiter videt et agit; avis oculīs ācribus spectat.ācer ācris ācre — in Mille Verba, Aula Rēgia
vehemēns, fortisācer, ācris — in IVLIANVS I: Gallia, ch. 9
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Acer · Vehemens
Acer (ὠκύς) denotes eagerness in a good sense, as fire and energy, in opp. to frigidus, like ὀξύς: but vehemens (ἐχόμενος) in a bad sense, as heat and passion, in opp. to lenis; Cic. Or. ii. 49, 53, like σφοδρός. (iv. 450.)
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | ācer ācriculus | ācris ācra, ācricula | ācre ācriculum, ācrum |
| genitive | ācris ācriculī | ācris ācrae, ācriculae | ācris ācriculī |
| dative | ācrī ācriculō, ācrō | ācrī ācrae, ācriculae | ācrī ācriculō, ācrō |
| accusative | ācrem ācriculum, ācrum | ācrem ācram, ācriculam | ācre ācriculum, ācrum |
| ablative | ācrī ācriculō, ācrō | ācrī ācrā, ācriculā | ācrī ācriculō, ācrō |
| vocative | ācer ācricule | ācris ācra, ācricula | ācre ācriculum, ācrum |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | ācrēs ācriculī | ācrēs ācrae, ācriculae | ācria ācra, ācricula |
| genitive | ācrium ācriculōrum, ācrōrum | ācrium ācrārum, ācriculārum | ācrium ācriculōrum, ācrōrum |
| dative | ācribus ācriculīs | ācribus ācriculīs | ācribus ācriculīs |
| accusative | ācrēs ācrīs, ācriculōs, ācrōs | ācrēs ācrīs, ācrās, ācriculās | ācria ācra, ācricula |
| ablative | ācribus ācriculīs | ācribus ācriculīs | ācribus ācriculīs |
| vocative | ācrēs ācriculī | ācrēs ācrae, ācriculae | ācria ācra, ācricula |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- acer morsus doloris est (Tusc. 2. 22. 53)
- the pain is very severe.
- existimator (doctus, intellegens, acerrimus)
- a (competent, intelligent, subtle) critic.
ācer, cris, cre, adj. (m. acris, Enn.; f. acer, Naev. and Enn.; acrus, a um, Pall.; Veg.; cf. Charis. 63 and 93 P.) [cf. ἀκίς, ἀκών, άκμή, ἄκρος, ὠκύς, ὀξύς; Sanscr. acan = dart, acus = swift; Germ. Ecke; Engl. edge, to egg; and with change of quantity, ăcus, acuo, ăceo, ăcies, ăcerbus],
I. sharp, pointed, piercing, and the like.
I. Prop., of the senses and things affecting them, sharp, dazzling, stinging, pungent, fine, piercing:
praestans valetudine, viribus, formā, acerrimis integerrimisque sensibus, Cic. Tusc. 5, 15, 45. So, a. Of the sight:
acerrimus sensus videndi, Cic. de Or. 2, 87, 357: acres oculi, id. Planc. 27: splendor, Lucr. 4, 304: quidam colores ruboris acerrimi, Sen. Q. N. 1, 14 al.—b. Of the hearing:
voce increpet acri? Lucr. 3, 953: aurium mensura, quod est acrius judicium et certius, Cic. de Or. 3, 47: acrem flammae sonitum, Verg. G. 4, 409: acri tibiā, Hor. C. 1, 12, 1.—c. Of smell, Lucr. 4, 122:
exstinctum lumen acri nidore offendit nares, id. 6, 792; cf. ib. 1216: unguentis minus diu delectemur summa et acerrima suavitate conditis, quam his moderatis, Cic. de Or. 3, 25, 99: odor, Plin. 12, 17, 40.—d. Of taste: ut vitet acria, ut est sinapi, cepa, allium, Var. ap. Non. 201, 13:
acres humores, sharp juices, Cic. N. D. 2, 23: lactuca innatat acri stomacho, an acid stomach, Hor. S. 2, 4, 59; cf. ib. 2, 8, 7: dulcibus cibis acres acutosque miscere, Plin. Ep. 7, 3 al.—e. Of sensation in its widest extent: aestatem auctumnus sequitur, post acer hiems fit, sharp, severe, Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 647 P. (Ann. v. 406 ed. Vahl.—cf. Lucr. 3, 20; 4, 261); and so Hor.: solvitur acris hiems, C. 1. 4, 1. —
B. Of the internal states of the human system, violent, sharp, severe, gnawing:
fames, Naev. ap. Prisc. l. l. (B. Punic. p. 18 ed. Vahl.): somnus, Enn. ap. Prisc. l. l. (Ann. v. 369): morbus, Plaut. Men. 5, 2, 119: dolor, Lucr. 6, 650: sitis, Tib. 1, 3, 77 al.II. Of the states of mind: violent, vehement, passionate, consuming: mors amici subigit, quae mihi est senium multo acerrimum, Att. ap. Non. 2, 22:
acri ira percitus, Lucr. 5, 400: cf. 3, 312; 6, 754 (on the contrary, 5, 1194: iras acerbas): acres curae, Lucr. 3, 463, and Var. ap. Non. 241: luctus, ib. 87: dolor, Verg. A. 7, 291: metus, Lucr. 6, 1211; Verg. A. 1, 362: amor, Tib. 2, 6, 15: acrior ad Venerem cupido, Curt. 6, 5 al. (Among unpleasant sensations, acer designates a piercing, wounding by sharpness; but acerbus the rough, harsh, repugnant, repulsive.)—B. Applied to the intellectual qualities, subtle, acute, penetrating, sagacious, shrewd:
acrem irritat virtutem animi, Lucr. 1, 70: acri judicio perpende, id. 2, 1041: memoria, strong, retentive, Cic. de Or. 2, 87: vir acri ingenio, id. Or. 5; cf. id. Sest. 20 al. —C. Applied to moral qualities.
1. In a good sense, active, ardent, eager, spirited, brave, zealous:
milites, Cic. Cat. 2, 10: civis acerrimus, an ardent patriot, id. Fam. 10, 28: defensor, id. ib. 1, 1: studio acriore esse, id. de Or. 1, 21: jam tum acer curas venientem extendit in annum rusticus, Verg. G. 2, 405 al.—2. In a bad sense, violent, hasty, hot, passionate, fierce, severe (very freq.):
uxor acerrima, enraged, angry, Plaut. Merc. 4, 4, 56; Ter. Ph. 2, 1, 32: dominos acres, Lucr. 6, 63; Nep. Tim. 3, 5; cf. Bremi Nep. Eum. 11, 1. Also, of animals, Lucr. 4, 421; 5, 860; Verg. A. 4, 156; Hor. Epod. 12, 6; 2, 31; Nep. Eum. 11, 1. —D. Of abstract things (mostly poet.), Ter. Ph. 2, 2, 32:
egestas, Lucr. 3, 65: poenas, id. 6, 72: impetus, ib. 128; 392: acerrimum bellum, Cic. Balb. 6: nox acerrima atque acerbissima, id. Sull. 18: acrius supplicium, id. Cat. 1, 1; in Quint.: acres syllabae, which proceed from short to long, 9, 4.—Acer is constr. with abl., and also (esp. in the histt. of the silv. age) with gen., Vell. 1, 13; Tac. H. 2, 5 al.; cf. Ramsh. § 107, 6 note. With in, Cic. Fam. 8, 15; with inf., Sil. 3, 338.—Adv.: ācrĭter, sharply, strongly, vehemently, eagerly, zealously, etc., in all the signif. of the adj., Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 110; id. Ps. 1, 3, 39; Lucr. 6, 783; Cic. Tusc. 1, 30 al.—Comp., Lucr. 3, 54; 5, 1147; Hor. S. 2, 3, 92; Tac. A. 6, 45; 13, 3.—Sup., Cic. Fl. 11; id. Fam. 10, 28; 15, 4.—Also, ācre, Sall. Fragm. ap. Non. p. 132, 25; App. M. 10, 32; and perh. Pers. 4, 34.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
ācer ācris, ācre, adj. with comp. and sup.
2 AC-, to the senses, sharp, piercing, penetrating, cutting, irritating, pungent: oculi: favilla non acris, no longer glowing, O.: acrior voltus, keener look, O.: acrem flammae sonitum, V.: acri tibiā, H.: canes naribus acres, O.: acetum, H.: stimuli, V.: sol acrior, fierce, H.: stomachus, irritated, H.: hiemps, severe, H.: Aufidus, impetuous, H.— Of mind, etc., violent, vehement, consuming, bitter: odium: dolor, V.: supplicia.—Of intellectual qualities, subtle, acute, penetrating, sagacious, shrewd: animus: ingenium: memoria, ready. — Of moral qualities, active, ardent, eager, spirited, keen, brave, zealous: milites: in armis, V.: acerrimus armis, V.: acer equis, spirited charioteer, V. — Violent, hasty, quick, hot, passionate, fierce, severe: cupiditas: pater acerrimus, enraged, angry, T.: acres contra me: voltus in hostem, H.: virgines in iuvenes unguibus, H.: leo, N.—As subst: ridiculum acri fortius magnas secat res, more effectually than severity, H. — Fig.: prima coitiost acerruma, i. e. most critical, T.: amor gloriae, keen: pocula, excessive, H.: concursus, Cs.: fuga, impetuous, V.: (vos) rapit vis acrior, an irresistible impulse, H.: regno Arsacis acrior est Germanorum libertas, more formidable, Ta.
Origins
From Proto-Italic *akris, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós (“sharp”). The change from o-stem to i-stem declension is irregular and not fully explained. Likewise, Latin has irregular lengthening of the vowel. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἄκρος (ákros).
Later borrowings
- Catalanacre
- Englishacrid
- Englishacrylic
- Frenchâcre
- Italianacre
- Portugueseacre
- Spanishacre
- Esperantoakra
Ancient borrowings
- Irishaichearfrom Old Irish aicher