Original: The word Acer is derived from a Latin word meaning "sharp" (referring to the characteristic points on the leaves) and was first applied to the genus by the French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort in 1700.
Simplified: The word Acer comes from a Latin word meaning "sharp". The first person to talk about the genus that way was French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort in 1700.