A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Acer,-eris (s.n.III): the maple tree, declined like tuber (s.n.II), q.v. (Stearn 1983); note the retention of the ‘e’ after the ‘c’;

       singular              plural
Nom. Acer (s.n.III)     Acera
Gen. Aceris               Acerum
Dat. Aceri                Aceribus
Acc. Acer                Acera
Abl. Acere               Aceribus

- ad arbores praecipue Fagos et Acera, rarius ad tecta, on trees especially Fagus and Acer, more rarely on roofs.

acer, acris, acre(adj.B); compar. acrior,-ius (abj.B); superl. acerrimus,-a,-um (adj.A).

NOTE should be made that in the classical period this was a three ending B adjective, one ending for each of the three genders acer [m], acris [f], acre [n]. However, over time, this became a two-ending adjective, the masculine and feminine both being spelled ‘acris,’ the neuter ‘acre.’

NOTE: the following is a standard (classical) declension of this adjective, however, two classical authors use acris for the masculine; another declines it acrus,-a,-um (adj.A). The following paradigm follows Lewis & Short.

NOTE: most if almost all epithets as masc. nom.sg. = acris, not acer. Linnaeus created Ranunculus acer now Ranunculus acris; cf. Rubus x acer Bailey; Rubus x acer var. subacer Bailey, ‘somewhat acrid or sour.’

NOTE: not to be confused with acus,-eris (s.n.III), abl. sg acere (also acus,-us (s.f.IV): “the husk of grain and of pulse; chaff.”

              singular                             plural
       m.        f.         n.              m.        f.          n.
Nom. acer      acris      acre          acres       acres       acria    
Gen. acris     acris      acris         acrium      acrium      acrium    
Dat. acri      acri       acri          acribus     acribus     acribus    
Acc. acrem     acrem      acre          acres       acres       acria    
Abl. acri      acri       acri          acribus     acribus     acribus

cf. the declension of the adjective celer, celeris, celere (adj.B)

NOTE: the adjectival names of the months September, October, November and December are declined like acer, acris and acre (September, Septembris, Septembre).

NOTE: the combining form is acr-i-: acrifolius,-a,-um (adj.A), sharp-leaved; also ‘maple-leaved, > Acer,-eris (s.n.III), the maple-tree:

Sphaeralcea acerifolia; Viburnum acerifolium L. “maple-leaved” (Fernald 1950); but Ophiopogon acerobracteatus (Asparagaceae). (of an edge) sharp, cutting, pointed, piercing (as a needle);

(of taste) harsh to the taste, bitter, acid; acer and acerbus = “bitter” (Stearn).

(of smell) pungent, acrid, strong;

(of other things) strict, severe, harsh; severe, violent (as the weather);

(of the senses, including sight and hearing) sharp, dazzling, stinging, pungent, fine, piercing;

(of remedies, etc.) drastic;

opp. suavis,-e (adj.B), sweet, q.v., delightful, pleasant; dulcis,-e (adj.B): sweet, pleasant, charming, delightful, kind, dear, “any kind of taste, which is not acrid” (Lindley); cf. amarus,-a,-um (adj.A): bitter;

acridus,-a,-um (adj.A); acrid, “unpleasantly or irritatingly sharp or strong to the taste or smell; stingingly bitter, caustic” (WIII) [> L. sharp, pointed, piercing; (of the senses) sharp, dazzling, stinging, pungent, piercing; (of taste) strong, bitter, acid);

sour (Eng.adj.): acid; a taste produced chiefly by acids (such as lemon or lime juice); tart, vinegary; with a sharp taste.

NOTE: one of the generally four tastes (sapor): bitter (amarus), sour (acer), sweet (dulcis) and salty (salsus).

Acria (n.pl.III), gen.pl. acrium: “bitter or acid foods as affecting the stomach; acid secretions; (also applied to the stomach)” (Glare);

Acre, gen.sg. acris (s.n.II), abl.sg. acre (= on analogy with other third declension nouns): “a drastic medicine; acria,-ium (pl.n.II), drastic measures” (Glare).

NOTE: acre (adv.), acriter (adv.), compar. acrius (adv.): sharply, strongly, zealously, vehemently.

- acres humores, sharp or sour juices, humors, liquids;

- dulcibus cibis acres acutosque miscere, to mix sour and pungent with sweet foods.

- [odor] odor parum distinctus: sapor ingratus, vehemens, acris (S&A), odor somewhat distinct: the flavor unpleasant, powerful, acrid [i.e. sharp, harsh] [sapor is a masculine noun].

- [sapor]: sapor acer est, qui linguam & os acrimonya ferit atque compungit, simulque calfacit & interdum quasi exurit: is maxime conspicuus est in Pipere, Pyrethro & Euphorbio (Ray), a taste is ‘sharp’ which strikes the tongue and mouth with pungency [i.e. a piercing or biting quality] and stings them, and at the same time burns and sometimes almost sets them on fire: this is most conspicuous in Pepper, Pyrethrum and Euphorbia.

- dense obsita, sapore mucido, in recessu acri (Dill.), densely covered with oblique [i.e. slanted] squamules as if resembling the skin of a slug, with a musty odor, in a pointed recess.

- Herbae biennes, sempervirentes, glaucae, succo croceo acri scatentes (DeCandolle), biennial herbs, evergreen, glaucous, filled with an acrid crocus-[i.e. saffron-] colored juice.

- herbae perennes sempervirentes tenerae, succo croceo acri foetae (DeCandolle), perennial herbs, always green [i.e. evergreen], tender, filled with an acrid crocus-colored sap.

- Herbae biennes, sempervirentes, glaucae, succo croceo acri scatentes (DeCandolle), biennial herbs, evergreen, glaucous, filled with an acid crocus-[i.e. saffron-] colored juice.

- [Bryonia dioica] viribus acris et calefactoria, propter quod oleum in quo est cocta ad acopa et malagmata facit (Galen in Everett), with bitter properties and warming, because of which the oil in which it is cooked produces salves and emollients.

- [Herba savinia (Juniperus Sabina L.)] herba savina omnibus nota est. Habet vires acres et excalfactorias (Galen in Everett), the savine plant is known to all. It possesses sharp and warming properties.

- [Capparis] Sapor plantae acris, subsalinus, Tetradynamarum, unde nomen Jamaicensium, Mustard-shrub (Swartz), the taste of the plant acrid [i.e. sharp] somewhat salty, of the Tetradynamae [i.e. Cruciferae; Brassicaceae], whence the name of the Jamaicans, “Mustard-shrub.”

- in a, lac acerrimum album aeri expositum mox colorem induit pulchelle roseum (S&A), in a [=alpha), a very bitter white latex covers when exposed to the air soon tinted a beautiful rose-color.

Masc. & fem. genera: Amomis acris [f]; Aster acris [m]; Brassica acris [f]; Cardamine acris [f]; Cayratia acris [f]; Cissus acris [m]; Erigeron acris [m]; Ranunculus acris [m], ‘acrid’ (Fernald 1950); Michella acris [f]; Myrcia acris [f]; Myrtus acris [m]; Ranunculus acris [m], ‘acrid’ (Fernald 1950).

Neut.: Polygonum acre = P. punctatum (dotted); Sedum acre, Wall Pepper, “pungent-tasting” (Fernald 1950).