Etymology of the English word acumen
the English word
acumenderived from the Latin word
acumen (sharpened point, spur; sting)
derived from the Medieval Latin word
acuere (accentuate; whet, sharpen, cut to a point)
derived from the Late Latin word
acus (husks of grain, beans, chaff; needle, pin; hair-pin)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*ak-Date
The earliest known usage of acumen in English dates from the 16th century.
Usage
Word found in Modern English
