sharp

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Having an edge or point that can cut or pierce easily.

   I keep my knives sharp so they cut cleanly.

2. 2
   adj

   Quick to understand; intelligent.

   My nephew is a sharp lad who learns very fast.

3. 3
   adj

   Sudden and large in amount or degree.

   There was a sharp drop in the stock market.

4. 4
   adj

   Clear and easy to see or hear.

   The new camera produces a wonderfully sharp image.

5. 5
   adj

   Severe or critical in tone.

   The report drew sharp criticism from the public.

Common collocations

• sharp turn Adjective + noun
• sharp cry Adjective + noun
• sharp drop Adjective + noun
• sharp knock Adjective + noun
• sharp mind Adjective + noun
• sharp pain Adjective + noun

From Middle English scharp, from Old English sċearp, from Proto-West Germanic *skarp, from Proto-Germanic *skarpaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerb-, from *(s)ker- (“to cut”). Cognate with West Frisian skerp, Low German scherp, scharp, schaarp, Dutch scherp, German scharf, Danish skarp. Compare Irish cearb (“keen; cutting”), Latin acerbus (“tart, bitter”), Tocharian B kärpye (“rough”), Latvian skârbs (“sharp, rough”), Russian щерба (ščerba, “notch”), Polish szczerba (“gap, dent, jag, chip, nick, notch”), Albanian harb (“rudeness”). More at shear.

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