LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

acerbitās

acerbitās f (genitive acerbitātis)
Classical[aˈkɛr.bɪ.taːs]Ecclesiastical[aˈt͡ʃɛr.bi.tas]

Meaning

  1. sourness of taste, with bitterness and astringency, like that of unripe fruit
  2. figurativelyharshness, severity
  3. figurativelysorrow

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

rēs dūra et trīstis
bitterness, harshness
acerbitās -ātis (f) — in De Bello Gallico III, ch. 14

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeacerbitāsacerbitātēs
genitiveacerbitātisacerbitātum
dativeacerbitātīacerbitātibus
accusativeacerbitātemacerbitātēs
ablativeacerbitāteacerbitātibus
vocativeacerbitāsacerbitātēs

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

virus acerbitatis suae effundere in aliquem (De Amic. 23. 87)
to vent one's anger, spite on some one.

ăcerbĭtas, ātis, f. acerbus,
I. sharpness, sourness, harshness, the harsh taste of fruits.
I. Prop.: fructus non laetos et uberes, sed magna acerbitate permixtos tulissem, Cic. Planc. 38, 92.—Hence,
II. Fig., sharpness.
A. Of moral qualities, harshness, severity, rigor, moroseness (opp. comitas, lenitas, and the like): severitatem probo, acerbitatem nullo modo, Cic. de Sen. 18: acerbitas morum immanitasque naturae, id. Phil. 12, 11; so id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 13; Suet. Caes. 12; id. Ner. 44; cf. Brem. Nep. Dion. 6, 5.—Also satirical scverity: acerbitas et abunde salis, Quint. 10, 1, 94; cf. ib. 96, 117.—Also violence, anger: dissensio sine acerbitate, Cic. Off. 1, 25; id. Lael. 23, 87.—And hatred: nomen vestrum odio atque acerbitati scitote nationibus exteris futurum, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 30.—
B. Of one's lot or fortune, grief, sorrow, pain, anguish, affliction, and the like: acerbitas summi luctūs, Cic. Fam. 5, 16: lacrimas, quas tu in meis acerbitatibus plurimas effudisti, Cic. Planc. 42, 101: omnes acerbitates, omnes dolores cruciatusque perferre, id. Cat. 4, 1; so id. Sest. 38; id. Att. 9, 6; Nep. Alc. 6 al.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eḱ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eḱrós
  3. Proto-Italic*akris
  4. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  5. Proto-Italic*akriðos
  6. Latinacerbitās

Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin acerbitās From acerbus (“bitter”) + -tās.

Descendants
  • Englishacerbity
  • Italianacerbità
  • Portugueseacerbidade
  • Spanishacerbidad
  • Galicianacerbidade

In English words that came into English from acerbitās

  • acerbityacerbitās

Quick answers

What does acerbitās mean in Latin?
acerbitās, a noun, means “sourness of taste, with bitterness and astringency, like that of unripe fruit; harshness, severity; sorrow”.
What is the genitive of acerbitās?
The genitive singular is acerbitātis. acerbitās is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce acerbitās?
In classical Latin, [aˈkɛr.bɪ.taːs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [aˈt͡ʃɛr.bi.tas].
Where does acerbitās come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- → Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós → Proto-Italic *akris → Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- → Proto-Italic *akriðos → Latin acerbitās.