Main Entry:

¹ac·id

Pronunciation:

\ˈa-səd\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

French or Latin; French acide, from Latin acidus, from acēre to be sour — more at acet-

Date:

1626

1 a: sour, sharp, or biting to the taste <an acid flavor> b: sharp, biting, or sour in manner, disposition, or nature <an acid individual> <an acid personality> c: sharply clear, discerning, or pointed <an acid wit> <acid criticism> d: piercingly intense and often jarring <acid yellow>2 a: of, relating to, or being an acid ; also : having the reactions or characteristics of an acid <acid soil> <an acid solution> bof salts and esters : derived by partial exchange of replaceable hydrogen <acid sodium carbonate NaHCO₃> c: containing or involving the use of an acid (as in manufacture) <an acid bath> d: marked by or resulting from an abnormally high concentration of acid <acid indigestion>3: relating to or made by a process (as in making steel) in which the furnace is lined with acidic material and an acidic slag is used4: rich in silica <acid rocks>

— ac·id·ly adverb

— ac·id·ness noun