acute

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   Brief, quick, short.

   • It was an acute event.
2. 2

   High or shrill.

   • an acute accent or tone
   • The nimble Fly's Wings quicker were / Than those of her Competitor [a bee], / As may by this appear; / For an acuter Tone they made, / And in a ſharper Key they play'd, / (Which made the matter clear.)
3. 3

   Intense

   Intense; sensitive; sharp.

   • She had an acute sense of honour
   • Eagles have very acute vision.
4. ›+ 14 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      Urgent.

      • His need for medical attention was acute.
   2. 5

      With the sides meeting directly to form an acute angle (at an apex or base).

   3. 6

      Less than 90 degrees.

      • The teacher pointed out the acute angle.
   4. 7

      Having all three interior angles measuring less than 90 degrees.

      • an acute triangle
   5. 8

      Of an accent or tone

      Of an accent or tone: generally higher than others.

   6. 9

      Sharp, produced in the front of the mouth. (See Grave and acute on Wikipedia.Wikipedia )

   7. 10

      Of an abnormal condition of recent or sudden onset, in contrast to delayed onset

      Of an abnormal condition of recent or sudden onset, in contrast to delayed onset; this sense does not imply severity, unlike the common usage.

      • He dropped dead of an acute illness.
   8. 11

      Of a short-lived condition, in contrast to a chronic condition

      Of a short-lived condition, in contrast to a chronic condition; this sense also does not imply severity.

      • The acute symptoms resolved promptly.
   9. 12

      Of a letter of the alphabet, having an acute accent.

      • The last letter of ‘café’ is ‘e’ acute.
      • Commonly used European accents are available as below: / á Á a acute / […] / é É e acute / […] / í Í i acute / […] / ó Ó o acute / […] / ú Ú u acute
   10. 13

       A person who has the acute form of a disorder, such as schizophrenia.

   11. 14

       An accent or tone higher than others.

   12. 15

       An acute accent (´).

       • The word ‘cafe’ often has an acute over the ‘e’.
       • The number of Notes in this Table, without either acute or grave marks (´ or `), is 75. Of those bearing one acute mark (´) it is 74, of those with two acutes (´´) 70, with three acutes (´´´ or ´³) 51, […]
   13. 16

       To give an acute sound to.

       • He acutes his rising inflection too much.
       • This word ωροπαροξύνον has been generally underſtood, before Dr. G[ally] undertook to explain it otherwiſe, to ſignify "acuting the antepenultima."
   14. 17

       To make acute

       To make acute; to sharpen, to whet.

The neighborhood

• neighborague