The quality or state of being acid; the degree of acid content in a substance. Can also refer to sharpness or harshness in speech, manner, or taste.
From French acidité, from Latin acidus meaning 'sour, sharp' + -ity. The Latin root comes from acere 'to be sharp,' related to acer 'sharp.' The figurative sense of harsh temperament parallels the physical sensation of sourness.
The metaphorical extension of acidity to describe personality perfectly captures how taste sensations shape our emotional vocabulary—we use the same word for lemon juice and cutting remarks. This connection between chemical properties and human behavior shows how scientific understanding influences everyday language.
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