[a. Fr. acerbité, ad. L. acerbitāt-em, n. of quality f. acerb-us ACERB.]
1. Sourness of taste, mingled with bitterness or astringency; harshness, roughness of taste.
1611. Cotgr., Acerbité: Acerbitie, sharpnesse, sournesse.
1620. Venner, Via Recta, vii. 113. By reason of their acerbity, they are soone offensiue to the teeth.
a. 1735. Arbuthnot, Aliments, in Philol. Anglic. Fruit, especially unripe fruit, has a degree of acerbity in it.
1814. Edin. Rev., XXIII. 118. Salt communicates an unpleasant acerbity to substances.
2. fig. Of men, their words and actions: Sharpness mingled with bitterness, keen harshness.
1572. G. Buchanan, in Knox’s Wks. (1846), I. 29. Thai ar in consultation to mitigat sum part the acerbite of certain wordis.
1626. T. H., trans. Caussin’s Holy Crt., 411. I yet among so many acerbityes sucke some sweetnesse out of the world.
a. 1677. Barrow, Serm., Wks. 1716, I. 339. We may imagine what acerbity of pain must be endured by our Lord.
1844. Disraeli, Coningsby, I. ix. 35. A spell that can soften the acerbity of political warfare.
1877. Miss Worboise, Our New House, xiv. 214. There was an acerbity in her tone that made me feel extremely uncomfortable.
