acerb-, acerbo-; acri-, acrid-
(Latin: bitter, sharp, sour, stinging)
Formed from a blend of Latin acer- (feminine acris, neuter acre) which are both related to Latin acus, "needle"; acies, "sharp edge, point, the front of an army, line of battle, battle array"; and acuere, "to sharpen".
acrimoniously (adverb), more acrimoniously, most acrimoniously
Descriptive of how language is spoken in a bitter and angry way; sharply; pungently: Jack and Jill were mocking each other acrimoniously in the restaurant and then Jack started to argue acrimoniously with the waiter.
The state of being cynical, embittered, or resentful: The fact that Mildred's husband left her without saying a word and never returning created an acrimoniousness in her that her friends had never known before.
1. Bitterness or harshness of temper, manner, or speech: Ina expresses her acrimonies with her neighbors with shouting and the stomping of her feet.
2. Emotional bitterness and angry feelings: Ted's dispute with his wife started again with increased acrimony.
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2. Emotional bitterness and angry feelings: Ted's dispute with his wife started again with increased acrimony.
Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.
acrious (adjective), more acrious, most acrious
Acrid; sharp and unpleasantly pungent in taste or smell: An acrious, nasty, offensive, and very displeasing odor of a cigar came in through under the closed door.
1. A bitter pungency or penetrating taste combined with a burning flavor: Some people think that the acritude of an old strong smelling cheese cannot be tolerated and so they avoid having it on the table!
2. A caustic or harsh temper or bitterness in language: James was so tired and upset with the unruly students in his class that the acritude in his manner of speaking came through unexpectedly and all of the children were suddenly very quiet!
2. A caustic or harsh temper or bitterness in language: James was so tired and upset with the unruly students in his class that the acritude in his manner of speaking came through unexpectedly and all of the children were suddenly very quiet!
Sharpness; strictness: Mr. Smith was known for his acrity in teaching which created great respect among the students.
anacrid (adjective), more anacrid, most anacrid
Without bitterness: In the story Jane was reading, the beautiful princess was given a sweet and anacrid potion to drink which made her quite drowsy.
eager (adjective), more eager, most eager
1. Quite desirous to do or to get something: Jane's dog was so eager to go outside and run over the meadow.
There was only one eager student in the class who always wanted to be the first to answer the teacher's questions.
2. Regarding the state of being very excited and interested; keen; enthusiastic: On the first day of school, all the eager students were quiet, looked at the teacher, and listened carefully.
eagerly (adverb), more eagerly, most eagerly
Regarding how someone does something in an enthusiastic or passionate way: Janet collected stamps and eagerly examined each stamped envelope she came across, just in case she could add it to her stamp collection!
The condition of being full of elan; enthusiasm; keenness: On Saturday, Jack and Susan wanted to go to the local swimming pool and they could see the eagerness and excitement in their children's eyes!
Concerning the plant family Epacridaceae: An epacrid of the southern hemisphere is a heath-like shrub, a woody vine, or a small tree having flowers with normally five stamens.
exacerbate (verb), exacerbates; exacerbated; exacerbating
1. To increase the severity of, to aggravate, to exasperate, to irritate: Studies have found that smoking exacerbates and disrupts a restful night and causes sleep apnea, which is a disorder where breathing stops and starts while a person is sleeping which make it difficult to get restful sleep.
2. To increase the sharp stinging pain or bitterness of; to aggravate or to make a disease, pain, annoyance, etc. worse: When Steven was bitten by a mosquito, he scratched his skin at that spot and doing this exacerbated the itchiness of it even more and caused it to bleed.
© ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.
Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
2. To increase the sharp stinging pain or bitterness of; to aggravate or to make a disease, pain, annoyance, etc. worse: When Steven was bitten by a mosquito, he scratched his skin at that spot and doing this exacerbated the itchiness of it even more and caused it to bleed.
Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.
An increase in the severity of a disease or any of its symptoms: The doctor diagnosed an exacerbation of June's fever which was getting worse from day to day.
The state of showing violence or bitterness; an irritation; exacerbation: Periods of exacerbescense came usually at night when Nancy's mother suffered more and more from the incurable disease.
Any of a group of compounds containing a characteristic aromatic trimeric heterocyclic nucleus, usually occurring in glycosidic form and widely distributed in plants: The pigments of flavonoids usually appear in color varying from yellow to red and blue and are found in fruits, like grapes and citrus fruits, and vegetables and herbs, like peppers and dill.
A subgroup with biological activity in mammals is termed the bioflavonoids.
