acute
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /əˈkjuːt/
enpr: ə-kyo͞ot′
ipa: /əˈkjut/
rhymes: -uːt
Forms: form: acutes
form: acuting
form: acuted
form: acuted
Etymology: From Late Middle English acute (“of a disease or fever: starting suddenly and lasting for a short time; of a humour: irritating, sharp”), from Latin acūta, from acūtus (“sharp, sharpened”), perfect passive participle of acuō (“to make pointed, sharpen, whet”), from acus (“needle, pin”). The word is cognate to ague (“acute, intermittent fever”).
As regards the noun, which is derived from the verb, compare Middle English acūte (“severe but short-lived fever; of blood: corrosiveness, sharpness; musical note of high pitch”).
Senses: examples: text: He acutes his rising inflection too much.
text: Polyſyllables having their Penultima long by poſition are acuted; as Camíllus: but having it long by nature and the last ſhort, they are circumflected; as, Românus, amâre: except the Compounds of ſit, whose Ultima is acuted; as Malefít, calefít, benefít, ſatisfít.
ref: 1696, [William] Lily, W. T., “Prosodia Examin’d and Explain’d by Question and Answer”, in Lily, Improved, Corrected, and Explained; with the Etymological Part of the Common Accidence, London: Printed for R. Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 151:
text: This word ωροπαροξύνον has been generally underſtood, before Dr. G[ally] undertook to explain it otherwiſe, to ſignify "acuting the antepenultima."
ref: 1762, John Foster, “On the Accent of the Old Greeks. […]”, in An Essay on the Different Nature of Accent and Quantity, with Their Use and Application in the Pronunciation of the English, Latin, and Greek Languages; […], Eton, Berkshire: Printed by J. Pote; […], →OCLC, pages 103–104:
text: O is a broad vowel. When acuted, it is pronounced as o in gone; thus, cron, son; when circumflexed, as o in bone; thus, ôney. And thus it answers to the Greek Omicron and Omega.
ref: 1859, John Kelly, “On the Pronunciation of the Manks Letters”, in A Practical Grammar of the Antient Gaelic, or Language of the Isle of Man, usually Called Manks. […] (Manx Society series; 2), Douglas, Isle of Man: Printed for the Manx Society, →OCLC; reprinted London: Bernard Quaritch, […], 1870, →OCLC, page 4:
text: That the acute accent meant stress is plain from the inherited intonation of the modern Greeks; […] and, if any person objects that the modern Greek not only acutes the last syllables of these words, but makes their quantity long, this is all in favour of my argument; […]
ref: 1874, John Stuart Blackie, “On the Place and Power of Accent in Language”, in Horæ Hellenicæ: Essays and Discussions on Some Important Points of Greek Philology and Antiquity, London: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC, paragraph 4, page 347:
topics: human-sciences
linguistics
phonetics
phonology
sciences
glosses: To give an acute sound to.
examples: text: [A]n old Farmer […] uſed, when fuddled over Night, to walk naked, or only in his Shirt, until he had cooled himſelf throughly, […] This Courſe may not be improperly call'd a Balenum Aerium, and may be of great Uſe to ſober People, as well as the Fuddlers; for running empty, after Sleep and Concoction, warms the Blood and Spirits, acutes the Circulations, fans and cools the Lungs, helps both Excretion and Secretion; […]
ref: 1732, John Floyer, Edward Baynard, “[The Appendix.] The Other Cure Wrought by the Cold Bath, was upon Mrs. Taylor, a Young Gentlewoman that Boarded at My Father’s”, in ΨΥΧΡΟΛΟΥΣΙ´Α [PSYCHROLOUSIA]: Or, The History of Cold-bathing, both Ancient and Modern. In Two Parts. […], 6th edition, London: Printed for W[illiam] Innys and R. Manby, […], →OCLC, part II (Of Cold Baths), pages 476–477:
text: It had been over a week that I had not been over to visit my most favorable place. Since I was allowed a rare opening that jaggled an intense curiosity, it acuted my senses with great anticipation that a living current was felt in my center, brought on by something truly new.
ref: 2010, R. J. Cyle, The Verticord: Turner of Hearts, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 36:
glosses: To make acute; to sharpen, to whet.