I. ˈa-səd 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
b. : sharp, biting, or sour in manner, disposition, or nature
an acid individual
c. : sharply clear, discerning, or pointed
an acid wit
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
b. of salts and esters : derived by partial exchange of replaceable hydrogen
acid sodium carbonate NaHCO 3
c. : containing or involving the use of an acid (as in manufacture)
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 used
4. : rich in silica
acid rocks
• ac·id·ly adverb
• ac·id·ness noun
II. noun
Date: 1696
1. : a sour substance ; specifically : any of various typically water-soluble and sour compounds that in solution are capable of reacting with a base to form a salt, redden litmus, and have a pH less than 7, that are hydrogen-containing molecules or ions able to give up a proton to a base, or that are substances able to accept an unshared pair of electrons from a base
2. : something incisive, biting, or sarcastic
a social satire dripping with acid
3. : LSD
• ac·idy ˈa-sə-dē adjective