A*cut"an`gu*lar (&?;), a. Acute- angled.
A*cute" (&?;), a. [L. acutus, p. p. of acuere to sharpen, fr. a root ak to be sharp. Cf. Ague, Cute, Edge.] 1. Sharp at the end; ending in a sharp point; pointed; -- opposed to blunt or obtuse; as, an acute angle; an acute leaf.
2. Having nice discernment; perceiving or using minute distinctions; penetrating; clever; shrewd; -- opposed to dull or stupid; as, an acute observer; acute remarks, or reasoning.
3. Having nice or quick sensibility; susceptible to slight impressions; acting keenly on the senses; sharp; keen; intense; as, a man of acute eyesight, hearing, or feeling; acute pain or pleasure.
4. High, or shrill, in respect to some other sound; -- opposed to grave or low; as, an acute tone or accent.
5. (Med.) Attended with symptoms of some degree of severity, and coming speedily to a crisis; -- opposed to chronic; as, an acute disease.
Acute angle (Geom.), an angle less than a right angle.
Syn. -- Subtile; ingenious; sharp; keen; penetrating; sagacious; sharp-witted; shrewd; discerning; discriminating. See Subtile.
A*cute", v. t. To give an acute sound to; as, he acutes his rising inflection too much. [R.] Walker.
A*cute"-an`gled (-"g'ld), a. Having acute angles; as, an acute-angled triangle, a triangle with every one of its angles less than a right angle.
A*cute"ly, adv. In an acute manner; sharply; keenly; with nice discrimination.
A*cute"ness, n. 1. The quality of being acute or pointed; sharpness; as, the acuteness of an angle.
2. The faculty of nice discernment or perception; acumen; keenness; sharpness; sensitiveness; -- applied to the senses, or the understanding. By acuteness of feeling, we perceive small objects or slight impressions: by acuteness of intellect, we discern nice distinctions.
Perhaps, also, he felt his professional acuteness interested in bringing it to a successful close.
Sir W. Scott.