Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Acute"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Acute \A*cute"\, a. [L. acutus, p. p. of acuere to sharpen, fr.
a root ak to be sharp. Cf. {Ague}, {Cute}, {Edge}.]
1. Sharp at the end; ending in a sharp point; pointed; --
opposed to {blunt} or {obtuse}; as, an acute angle; an
acute leaf.
2. Having nice discernment; perceiving or using minute
distinctions; penetrating; clever; shrewd; -- opposed to
{dull} or {stupid}; as, an acute observer; acute remarks,
or reasoning.
3. Having nice or quick sensibility; susceptible to slight
impressions; acting keenly on the senses; sharp; keen;
intense; as, a man of acute eyesight, hearing, or feeling;
acute pain or pleasure.
4. High, or shrill, in respect to some other sound; --
opposed to {grave} or {low}; as, an acute tone or accent.
5. (Med.) Attended with symptoms of some degree of severity,
and coming speedily to a crisis; -- opposed to {chronic};
as, an acute disease.
{Acute angle} (Geom.), an angle less than a right angle.
Syn: Subtile; ingenious; sharp; keen; penetrating; sagacious;
sharp-witted; shrewd; discerning; discriminating. See
{Subtile}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Acute \A*cute"\, v. t.
To give an acute sound to; as, he acutes his rising
inflection too much. [R.] --Walker.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
acute
adj 1: (medicine) having or experiencing a rapid onset and short
but severe course; "acute appendicitis"; "the acute
phase of the illness"; "acute patients [ant: {chronic}]
2: extremely sharp or intense; "acute pain"; "felt acute
annoyance"; "intense itching and burning" [syn: {intense}]
3: having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine
distinctions; "an acute observer of politics and
politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike
reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a
fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative
observations" [syn: {discriminating}, {incisive}, {keen},
{knifelike}, {penetrating}, {penetrative}, {piercing}, {sharp}]
4: of an angle; less than 90 degrees [ant: {obtuse}]
5: ending in a sharp point [syn: {acuate}, {sharp}]
6: of critical importance and consequence; "an acute (or
critical) lack of research funds"
n : a mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
[syn: {acute accent}, {ague}]
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