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A.Word.A.Day--acidulous

This week's theme: Words from chemistry

adjective: Somewhat sour in taste or in manner.

[From Latin acidulus (slightly sour), diminutive of acidus (sour), from acere (to be sour). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ak- (sharp) that's also the source of acrid, vinegar, acid, acute, edge, hammer, heaven, eager, oxygen, and mediocre.]

"Like Munroe, she permitted herself no grand, expressive gestures, but then this is a wry, acidulous work.
Justin Davidson; The Virtuosos of the Philharmonic; Newsday (New York); Feb 5, 1996.

See more usage examples of acidulous in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

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