Meanings
-
1
adj
Slightly sour; subacid; sourish.
The hard, acidulous, metallic tincture of the spring.
-
2
adj
Sharp; caustic.
He talked with acidulous tolerance of the exalted personages who had sent Ashenden to X.
-
3
adj
Containing carbonic acid.
Acidulous mineral waters.
Thesaurus
Word family
Derived forms
acidulouslyacidulousnessnonaciduloussubacidulous
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin acidulus (“sourish, acidulous”), diminutive of acidus (“sour, acid”). See acid. By surface analysis, acid + -ule + -ous.