—adj. (acuter, acutest)
1 (of sensation or senses) keen, penetrating.
2 shrewd, perceptive (an acute critic).
3 (of a disease) coming sharply to a crisis; severe, not chronic.
4 (of a difficulty or controversy) critical, serious.
5 a (of an angle) less than 90°. b sharp, pointed.
6 (of a sound) high, shrill.
—n. = acute accent.
Phrases and idioms:
acute accent a mark (
Usage:
) placed over letters in some languages to show quality, vowel length, pronunciation (e.g. mateacute), etc. acute rheumatism Med. = rheumatic fever.
Derivatives:
acutely adv. acuteness n.
Etymology: L acutus past part. of acuere sharpen f. acus needle
Useful english dictionary. 2012.