Acerbity

/əˈsɜːrbɪti/ noun

Definition

The quality of being sour or bitter in taste; sharpness or harshness of manner, mood, or tone.

Etymology

From Latin 'acerbitas' (sourness, harshness of character). The word evolved from describing physical sourness of fruit to describing the emotional character of people's words and attitudes.

Kelly Says

We use this word to describe both lemon juice AND mean comments—proving that our brains connect taste and personality in deeply similar ways!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.