Resembling, containing, or producing acetic acid; sour like vinegar.
From Latin 'acetum' (vinegar) + English suffix '-ous' (full of, having the nature of). This direct formation from the Latin word for vinegar shows how chemical terminology often preserves ancient vocabulary.
Acetous is the older, more poetic cousin of 'acetic'—medieval monks used this word when describing the fermentation process in their vinegar production, the same chemistry happening in your gut when bacteria digest food.
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