(verb) : ăcŭo, ui, ūtum, 3, (
* Part. fut. acuturus, not used) [cf. 2. acer], to make sharp or pointed, to sharpen, whet.
* 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.
* Trop.
* 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.
* 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. 5, 3, 49; 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.
* 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.
* 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.—Hence, ăcūtus, a, um, P.a., sharpened, made pointed; hence
* 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. Cap. 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.
* Transf.
* Fig.
* 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.
* 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).
* 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. Gen. 50: conclusiones,Quint. 2, 20, 5.
* In gramm.: accentus acutus, the acute accent (opp. gravis), Prisc. p. 159, ed. Lindem.—Comp. Plin. 13, 1, 2.—Adv.: ăcūte, sharply, keenly, acutely:. cernere, Lucr. 4, 804; ib. 811: conlecta,Cic. Deiot. 33: excogitat,Cic. Verr. 4, 147: respondeo,id. Cael. 17: scribo,Cic. Verr. 3, 20; so, ăcūtum: cernis,Hor. S. 1, 3, 26: resonarent,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; Cic. Verr. 3, 20.

s. TLL