acute

Where does the word "acute" come from? It comes from Latin acutus, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Acute’s story begins in Latin: acutus meant “sharpened.” Past participle of 'acuere', to sharpen, the root of 'acumen'. It reached English by 1400s as acute. First recorded before 1398 in John Trevisa's translation of a Latin encyclopedia; 'acute angle' dates from the 1500s and 'acute accent' from the 1600s. Today, acute means severe; sharp; less than 90 degrees.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient acutus "sharpened", past participle of 'acuere', to sharpen, the root of 'acumen'.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s acute "sharp", first recorded before 1398 in John Trevisa's translation of a Latin encyclopedia; 'acute angle' dates from the 1500s and 'acute accent' from the 1600s.