Word of the Week: ocet – ‘vinegar’
The primary component of vinegar is acetic acid, both words of which derive from the Latin verb acēre ‘to be sour’.
The Romans called vinegar acētum, and this developed into a broad range of medieval words for the condiment, like Italian aceto. The Latin word also passed into the ancestor of the Slavic languages, becoming *ocьtъ. Hence, we get Czech ocet.
Despite appearances, the English word also belongs to this word family! Vinegar was originally vin-aigre ‘sharp/sour wine’, an Old French compound word derived from Latin vīnum and ācer, from the same root as acēre.
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Word of the Week
Danny Bate, our resident linguist, offers a selection of everyday Czech words, to discuss their history and show how interconnected and familiar the Czech language can be.
