Etymology

acetate

A1C3E1T1A1T1E1

Today it means: Any ester or salt of acetic acid. Full definition →

Latin acētum ← Proto-Italic *akēō ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱéh₁yeti
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eḱ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eḱéh₁yeti
  3. Proto-Italic*akēō
  4. Latinaceō
  5. Latinacēscō
  6. Latinacētum
  7. English todayacetate

Formed from the root of Latin acētum (“vinegar”) + -ate, from aceō (“to be sour”). By surface analysis, acet- + -ate.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.