Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary -- Volume ABA·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. 3. Shrillness; high pitch; -- said of sounds. 4. (Med.) Violence of a disease, which brings it speedily to a crisis. Syn. -- Penetration; sagacity; keenness; ingenuity; shrewdness; subtlety; sharp-wittedness. A·cu`ti·fo"li·ate (?), a. [L. acutus sharp + folium leaf.] (Bot.) Having sharp-pointed leaves. A·cu`ti·lo"bate (?), a. [L. acutus sharp + E. lobe.] (Bot.) Having acute lobes, as some leaves. Ac`u·tor"sion (?), n. [L. acus needle + torsion.] (Med.) The twisting of an artery with a needle to arrest hemorrhage. A·cyc"lic (?), a. [Pref. a- not + cyclic.] Not cyclic; not disposed in cycles or whorls; as: (a) (Bot.) Of a flower, having its parts inserted spirally on the receptacle. (b) (Org. Chem.) Having an open-chain structure; aliphatic. Ac"yl (?), n. [Acid + -yl.] (Org. Chem.) An acid radical, as acetyl, malonyl, or benzoyl. Ad- (?). [A Latin preposition, signifying to. See At.] As a prefix ad- assumes the forms ac-, af-, ag-, al-, an-, ap-, ar-, as-, at-, assimilating the d with the first letter of the word to which ad- is prefixed. It remains unchanged before vowels, and before d, h, j, m, v. Examples: adduce, adhere, adjacent, admit, advent, accord, affect, aggregate, allude, annex, appear, etc. It becomes ac- before qu, as in acquiesce. |