acute

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /əˈkjut/ UK /əˈkjuːt/ See IPA manual

Freq #10622

Meanings

1

adj
very serious or severe

There is an acute shortage of clean water in the region.
2

adj
(of an illness) starting quickly and lasting a short time

He was taken to hospital with acute appendicitis.
3

adj
sharp and able to notice small differences quickly

Dogs have an acute sense of smell.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · very serious or severe intense critical

3 adj · sharp and able to notice... keen sharp powerful

Word family

Forms acuteracutest

Derived forms acuityacutanceacutangularacute-angledacutely acutenessacutishcutehyperacutenonacutepost-acutesuperacute

Related forms ague

Appears in

Phrases (3)

See all

Simplified etymology

Acute, in the name acute accent, comes from Latin acutus ‘sharp, high’. The name refers to the comparatively high pitch indicated by this accent in ancient Greek pronunciation, and this use is recorded in English from the mid-17th century.

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”).

*h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European acute Middle English acūta Latin

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Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# acute

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /əˈkjut/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈkjuːt/
**Frequency rank:** 10622

## Meanings
1. very serious or severe
2. (of an illness) starting quickly and lasting a short time
3. sharp and able to notice small differences quickly

## Examples
- There is an acute shortage of clean water in the region.
- He was taken to hospital with acute appendicitis.
- Dogs have an acute sense of smell.

## Derived Forms
- acuity
- acutance
- acutangular
- acute-angled
- acutely
- acuteness
- acutish
- cute
- hyperacute
- nonacute
- post-acute
- superacute

## Related Forms
- ague

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₂eḱ-
- Root: acute
- Root: acūta

## 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”).

## AI Etymology
Acute comes 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”).

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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