adj. & n.
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 90ø. b sharp, pointed. 6 (of a sound) high, shrill.
n. = acute accent. acute accent a mark (°) placed over letters in some languages to show quality, vowel length, pronunciation (e.g. maté), etc. acute rheumatism Med. = rheumatic fever. acutely adv. acuteness n.
[ L acutus past part. of acuere sharpen f. acus needle ]