ăcŭo, ui, ūtum, 3, v. a. (part. fut. acuturus, not used) [cf. 2. acer], to make sharp or pointed, to sharpen, whet.
I Lit.: ne stridorem quidem serrae audiunt, cum acuitur, Cic. Tusc. 1, 40; so, ferrum, Verg. A. 8, 386; Hor. C. 1, 2, 21: enses, Ov. M. 15, 776: gladium, Vulg. Deut. 32, 41: sagittas, id. Jer. 51, 11.—Poet.: fulmen, Lucr. 6, 278: dentes, Hor. C. 3, 20, 10; cf. Tib. 4, 3, 3.—
II Trop.
A First, of the tongue, qs. to whet , i. e. to sharpen , exercise , improve : acuere linguam exercitatione dicendi, Cic. Brut. 97: linguam causis, Hor. Ep. 1, 3, 23; so Vulg. Psa. 139, 4; so in gen.: se, to exercise one's self , to make one's self ready : acueram me ad exagitandam hanc ejus legationem, Cic. Att. 2, 7: mentem, ingenium, prudentiam, etc.; to sharpen : multa, quae acuant mentem, multa quae obtundant, Cic. Tusc. 1, 33; so id. Brut. 33; id. Phil. 2, 17; id. de Or. 1, 20.—
B Acuere aliquem (with or without ad aliquid), to spur on , incite , stir up , arouse : ad crudelitatem, Cic. Lig. 4; id. Fam. 15, 21: illos sat aetas acuet, Ter. Ad. 835; Cic. Rosc. Am. 33, 110: ita duae res, quae languorem afferunt ceteris, illum acuebant, otium et solitudo, id. Off. 3, 1; Liv. 28, 19: curis acuens mortalia corda, Verg. G. 1, 123: auditisque lupos acuunt balatibus agni, id. ib. 4, 435: quam Juno his acuit verbis, id. A. 7, 330.—
C Aliquid, to rouse up , kindle , excite (mostly poet.): saevus in armis Aeneas acuit Martem et se suscitat irā, Verg. A. 12, 108: iram, Vulg. Sap. 5, 21: studia, Val. Max. 2, 2, no. 3.—
D In gramm.: acuere syllabam, to give an acute accent to (opp. gravem ponere), Quint. 1, 5, 22; cf. Prisc. Op. Min. 159 Lind.: accentus acutus ideo inventus est, quod acuat sive elevet syllabam.
VII —Hence, ăcūtus , a, um, P.a., sharpened , made pointed; hence,
A Lit., sharp , pointed ( acer denotes natural sharpness, etc.: acutus , that produced by exertion, skill, etc.: sermo acer, impassioned , passionate; sermo acutus, pointed , acute discourse ): vide ut sit acutus culter probe, Plaut. Mil. 5, 4: ferrum, Hor. A. P. 304: cuspis, Verg. A. 5, 208: gladius, Vulg. Psa. 56, 5: carex, Verg. G. 3, 231; elementa, i. e. pointed , jagged atoms (opp. to perplexa, connected), Lucr. 2, 463: nasus, Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 114: oculi, of a pointed shape , id. Ps. 4, 7, 121: aures, pointed , Hor. C. 2, 19, 4: saxa, id. ib. 3, 27, 61; so Verg. A. 1, 45.—
2 Transf.
a Of the senses themselves, sharp , keen : oculos acrīs atque acutos, Cic. Planc. 66: nares, Hor. S. 1, 3, 29; Cels. 2, 6.—
b Of objects affecting the senses, sharp , acute; of the voice, soprano or treble : inde loci lituus sonitus effudit acutos, Enn. ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 116 Müll. (Ann. v. 522 ed. Vahl.): hinnitu, Verg. G. 3, 94: voces, id. Cir. 107; Ov. M. 3, 224: stridore, Hor. C. 1, 34, 15: vocem ab acutissimo sono usque ad gravissimum sonum recipiunt, from the highest treble to the lowest base , Cic. de Or. 1, 59, 251; cf. ib. 3, 57, 216; Somn. Scip. 5; Rep. 6, 18.—
c In gen., of things affecting the body, of either heat or cold from their similar effects, keen , sharp , violent , severe : sol, Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 17: radii solis, Ov. H. 4, 159: gelu, Hor. C. 1, 9, 4; cf. Lucr. 1, 495; Verg. G. 1, 93; so, febris, Cels. 2, 4: morbus, id. 3 (opp. longus), rapid.— Subst. with gen.: acuta belli, violent , severe misfortunes of war , Hor. C. 4, 4, 76 (= graves belli molestias).—
B Fig.
1 Of intellectual qualities, acute , clear-sighted , intelligent , sagacious (very freq.): Antisthenes homo acutus magis quam eruditus, Cic. Att. 12, 37; so id. de Or. 1, 51; id. N. D. 1, 16; Nep. Dion. 8, 1: homo ingenio prudentiāque acutissimus, Cic. de Or. 1, 39: acutae sententiae, id. Opt. Gen. Or. 2, 5: motus animorum ad excogitandum acuti, id. Or. 1, 113: studia, id. Sen. 50: conclusiones, Quint. 2, 20, 5.—
2 In gramm.: accentus acutus, the acute accent (opp. gravis), Prisc. p. 159, ed. Lindem.— Comp. Plin. 13, 1, 2, 16.—Adv.: ăcūte , sharply , keenly , acutely:. cernere, Lucr. 4, 804; ib. 811: conlecta, Cic. Deiot. 33: excogitat, id. Verr. 4, 147: respondeo, id. Cael. 17: scribo, id. Verr. 3, 20; so, ăcūtum : cernis, Hor. S. 1, 3, 26: resonarent, id. ib. 8, 41: and, ăcūta : canis ululat, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 9 Müll. (Ann. 346 Vahl.).— Comp. , Cic. Inv. 2, 16.— Sup. , Cic. Off. 1, 44; id. Verr. 3, 20.