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 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. mat{eacute}), etc. acute rheumatism Med. rheumatic fever.
Derivatives:
acutely adv. acuteness n.
Etymology: L acutus past part. of acuere sharpen f. acus needle