agrio

See also: agrió and agrío

Asturian

Adjective

agrio

1. neuter of agriu

Spanish

Alternative forms

• agre (obsolete or dialectal)
• agro (obsolete)

Etymology

According to Coromines and Pascual, first attested in the 16th century. From the older agro, used until the 17th century, from Old Spanish agro, from Late Latin ācrus, from Classical Latin ācer (“sharp, piercing, pungent”). Ultimately from Proto-Italic *akris, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱrós (“sharp”).

The ending -io is due to influence from the Spanish verb agriar, or alternatively from a Vulgar Latin *acridus. Coromines and Pascual say that although agriar is not attested until the 18th century, they nevertheless suspect it may have existed much earlier. Related to Old Spanish agrión (“berro”), Mozarabic *aqriyûn (perhaps read *aqriyûl or *uqurión), Occitan agriota. Cognate with Old French aigre, Italian agro, Romanian acru.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaɡɾjo/ [ˈa.ɣ̞ɾjo]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɡɾjo
• Syllabification: a‧grio

Adjective

agrio (feminine agria, masculine plural agrios, feminine plural agrias)

1. sour

   Synonym: amargo

   La toronja está muy agria.

   The grapefruit tastes very sour.

2. tangy
3. (figurative) bitter (said of a person)

Derived terms

• agriamente
• agridulce
• caña agria
• crema agria
• acritud

 

Related terms

• agriar

 

Verb

agrio

1. first-person singular present indicative of agriar

Further reading

• Joan Coromines, José A. Pascual (1984) “agrio”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (in Spanish), volumes I (A–Ca), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 77
• “agrio”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014