# acute

Pronunciation: say "uh-KYOOT" US /əˈkjut/, UK /əˈkjuːt/

## Adjective

1. Of a disease or condition: coming on suddenly and lasting a relatively short time, as opposed to chronic; also used of the care given for it (acute care).
   - Simple: Of an illness, starting suddenly and lasting a short time, not going on for a long time.
   - _The patient was admitted with acute appendicitis that had developed overnight._
   - _Acute bronchitis usually clears up in a few weeks, unlike the chronic kind._
2. Intense and sharp, or showing keen sensitivity in perception or feeling.
   - Simple: Very strong or sharp, like a feeling or a sense.
   - _Her acute hearing let her detect the faint hum of the refrigerator._
   - _He suffered acute embarrassment when his mistake was read aloud._
3. Requiring immediate attention; pressing and urgent.
   - Simple: Needing action very soon because it is serious.
   - _The region is experiencing an acute crisis as food supplies dwindle._
   - _Hospitals reported an acute lack of trained nurses this winter._
4. Brief and quick, lasting or taking place over only a short time.
   - Simple: Lasting only a short time, quick and brief.
   - _Researchers compared acute exposure to the pesticide with years of low-level contact on the same farms._
   - _The study looked at acute stress, the kind that lasts for minutes rather than months._
5. Of an angle: less than 90 degrees; of a triangle: having all three angles less than 90 degrees.
   - Simple: An acute angle is smaller than a right angle. An acute triangle has only angles like that.
   - _The two streets meet at an acute angle, forming a narrow wedge of land._
   - _Draw an acute angle and then measure it with a protractor._
6. Of a leaf, petal, or similar part: tapering so the sides meet directly in a narrow point at the apex or base.
   - Simple: Describes a leaf or part whose sides meet to make a sharp, narrow point.
   - _Botanists described the leaf as acute, its margins converging to a fine tip._
   - _The sepals are acute, narrowing sharply where they join the stem._
8. Of a letter: bearing the accent mark that slopes upward to the right, as in the é of French or the ó of Spanish.
   - Simple: Marked with the accent that slopes upward to the right, as in the é of café.
   - _In French, the word 'été' starts and ends with an e acute._
   - _French orthography distinguishes the acute é from the grave è._
9. High or shrill in pitch.
   - Simple: Very high and sharp in sound.
   - _The bird's thin, acute call carried across the marsh long after the others went quiet._
   - _As the kettle heated up, its hum rose into an acute whine that filled the kitchen._

## Noun

7. A small accent mark written as an upward-slanting stroke (´) and placed above a letter.
   - Simple: A small mark (´) written above a letter, like the one in 'café'.
   - _In Spanish, an acute over a vowel often marks the stressed syllable._
   - _The typesetter added an acute to distinguish the two words._
10. A patient who has the acute, rather than chronic, form of a disorder such as schizophrenia. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A patient whose illness, such as schizophrenia, started suddenly and is not the long-lasting kind.
   - _Staff moved the acute to a quieter room until the episode passed._
   - _The unit kept the chronics apart from the acutes._

## Adjective

11. Of a speech sound: sharp in quality and produced in the front of the mouth. *(dated)*
   - Simple: Describes a speech sound that is sharp and made near the front of the mouth.

## Verb

12. To make something acute; to sharpen or whet it. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To make something sharp, or to put a fine edge or point on it.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Of a tone or accent: typically carrying a higher pitch than the others.
- (noun) A tone or accent pitched higher than the others around it.
- (verb) To pronounce a syllable or vowel with an acute accent or higher tone.

## Origin

From Late Middle English acute, used of a disease or fever that starts suddenly and lasts a short time, from Latin acūta, from acūtus ('sharp, sharpened'), the past participle of acuō ('to sharpen, whet'), from acus ('needle, pin'). It is related to ague ('an acute, intermittent fever').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/acute (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).