acute
Direct German Translations & Equivalents:
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Verb Conjugation Tables & Inflections
Definitions & Usage
High or shrill.
Intense; sensitive; sharp.
Urgent.
(botany) With the sides meeting directly to form an acute angle (at an apex or base).
(geometry, of an angle) Less than 90 degrees.
(geometry, of a triangle) Having all three interior angles measuring less than 90 degrees.
(linguistics, chiefly historical) Of an accent or tone: generally higher than others.
(phonology, dated, of a sound) Sharp, produced in the front of the mouth. (See Grave and acute on Wikipedia.Wikipedia )
(medicine) Of an abnormal condition of recent or sudden onset, in contrast to delayed onset; this sense does not imply severity, unlike the common usage.
(medicine) Of a short-lived condition, in contrast to a chronic condition; this sense also does not imply severity.
(orthography, postpositive) Of a letter of the alphabet, having an acute accent.
(medicine, informal) A person who has the acute form of a disorder, such as schizophrenia.
(linguistics, chiefly historical) An accent or tone higher than others.
(orthography) An acute accent (´).
(transitive, phonetics) To give an acute sound to.
(transitive, archaic) To make acute; to sharpen, to whet.
Notable Literary & Historical Quotes
“Surprisingly, this analysis revealed that acute exposure to solvent vapors at concentrations below those associated with long-term effects appears to increase the risk of a fatal automobile accident. Furthermore, this increase in risk is comparable to the risk of death from leukemia after long-term exposure to benzene, another solvent, which has the well-known property of causing this type of cancer.”
— 2013 July-August, Philip J. Bushnell, “Solvents, Ethanol, Car Crashes & Tolerance: How Risky is Inhalation of Organic Solvents?”, in American Scientist, Research Triangle Park, N.C.: Sigma Xi, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 19 Jun 2013:
“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.)”
— 1751, “a Lover of the Mathematicks” [pseudonym; Nathaniel Whittemore?], “Part II. New Paradoxes Solved.”, in A Mathematical Miscellany, in Four Parts., London: Printed for M. Cooper, […], →OCLC, paradox 61, stanza III, page 53:
“The acuteness of sound in stringed instruments depends on three circumstances—length, thickness, and tension. The shorter, smaller, and tighter a string, the more acute the sound. […] In the violin, when you desire an acute sound, you tighten the string. When you wish a loud sound, you draw the bow over the strings heavily.”
— 1851, William C. Larrabee, “Lecture X. Evidences of Design from the Structure and Adaptations of the External Senses.”, in B[enjamin] F[ranklin] Tefft, editor, Lectures on the Scientific Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion, Cincinnati, Oh.: Published by L. Swormstedt & J. H. Power, for the Methodist Episcopal Church, […]; R. P. Thompson, printer, →OCLC, paragraph 233, page 177: