verbthird conjugation
acuō
acuō (present infinitive acuere, perfect active acuī, supine acūtum)
Classical[ˈa.ku.oː]Ecclesiastical[ˈaː.ku.o]
Meaning
- to make pointed, sharpen, whet
- to exercise, practice, improve
qui non linguam modo acuisses exercitatione dicendi
who had not only refined their speech through practice (literally, “who had not only sharpened their tongue through the practice of speaking”)46 BCE, Cicero, Brutus 97 - to spur, stimulate, arouse
attentiores sumus ad rem omnes quam sat est, quod illos sat aetas acuet
2001 translation by John Barsby We all become far too worried about money, on which time will sharpen their attitudes soon enough.160 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Adelphoe 5.834non libertas solum agebatur, quae virorum fortium tantum pectora acuit
2021 translation by J. C. Yardley It was not just a matter of their freedom being at stake, something that stimulates only the spirit of the brave27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita 28.19.14-15 - to put an acute accent on
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
quod bene secat; gladius acūtus et perīculōsus.acūtus -a -um — in Mille Verba, Bellum et Arma
acūtum faciōacuō -ere — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 24
sharpen
acuō -ere, -uī — in De Bello Gallico III
Conjugation conjugation 3
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | acuō | acuēbam | acuam | acuī | acueram | acuerō |
| 2nd sg. | acuis | acuēbās | acuēs | acuistī | acuerās | acueris |
| 3rd sg. | acuit | acuēbat | acuet | acuit | acuerat | acuerit |
| 1st pl. | acuimus | acuēbāmus | acuēmus | acuimus | acuerāmus | acuerimus |
| 2nd pl. | acuitis | acuēbātis | acuētis | acuistis | acuerātis | acueritis |
| 3rd pl. | acuunt | acuēbant | acuent | acuērunt acuēre | acuerant | acuerint |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | acuam | acuerem | acuerim | acuissem |
| 2nd sg. | acuās | acuerēs | acuerīs | acuissēs |
| 3rd sg. | acuat | acueret | acuerit | acuisset |
| 1st pl. | acuāmus | acuerēmus | acuerīmus | acuissēmus |
| 2nd pl. | acuātis | acuerētis | acuerītis | acuissētis |
| 3rd pl. | acuant | acuerent | acuerint | acuissent |
passive indicative
| form | present | imperfect | future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | acuor | acuēbar | acuar |
| 2nd sg. | acueris acuere | acuēbāris acuēbāre | acuēris acuēre |
| 3rd sg. | acuitur | acuēbātur | acuētur |
| 1st pl. | acuimur | acuēbāmur | acuēmur |
| 2nd pl. | acuiminī | acuēbāminī | acuēminī |
| 3rd pl. | acuuntur | acuēbantur | acuentur |
passive subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | acuar | acuerer |
| 2nd sg. | acuāris acuāre | acuerēris acuerēre |
| 3rd sg. | acuātur | acuerētur |
| 1st pl. | acuāmur | acuerēmur |
| 2nd pl. | acuāminī | acuerēminī |
| 3rd pl. | acuantur | acuerentur |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | acue | acuere |
| pres. 2nd pl. | acuite | acuiminī |
| fut. 2nd sg. | acuitō | acuitor |
| fut. 3rd sg. | acuitō | acuitor |
| fut. 2nd pl. | acuitōte | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | acuuntō | acuuntor |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | acuere | acuī |
| perfect infinitive | acuisse | acūtum esse |
| future infinitive | acūtūrum esse | acūtum īrī |
| present participle | acuēns | — |
| perfect participle | — | acūtus acūta, acūtā, acūtae, acūtam, acūtārum, acūtās, acūte, acūtī, acūtīs, acūtō, acūtōrum, acūtōs |
| future participle | acūtūrus acūtūra, acūtūrā, acūtūrae, acūtūram, acūtūrārum, acūtūrās, acūtūre, acūtūrī, acūtūrīs, acūtūrō, acūtūrōrum, acūtūrōs, acūtūrum | acuendus acuenda, acuendā, acuendae, acuendam, acuendārum, acuendās, acuende, acuendīs, acuendōrum, acuendōs |
gerundacuendī, acuendō, acuendumsupineacūtum, acūtū
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- iudicium acuere
- to cultivate one's powers of criticism.
- ingenium acuere
- to sharpen the wits.
- acute, subtiliter concludere
- to draw a subtle inference.
- vox gravis, acuta, parva, mediocris
- a deep, high, thin, moderate voice.
ăcŭo, ui, ūtum, 3, v. a. (
I. 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. 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.—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.—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. 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.—2. Transf.
a. Of the senses themselves, sharp, keen:
oculos acrīs atque cicutos, 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. Gen. 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.—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.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
acuō uī, ūtus, ere
2 AC-, to sharpen, whet, point, make sharp: stridor serrae, cum acuitur: ferrum in me, V.: sagittas cote cruentā, H. — Fig., of the tongue, to sharpen, exercise, practise: linguam causis, H. — Of the intellect, to sharpen, quicken, arouse, discipline, improve: multa quae acuant mentem: illos sat aetas acuet, will make them keen, T.—To stimulate, spur on, stir, arouse, incite, encourage, kindle: illum: ad crudelitatem te: alqm verbis, V.—To increase, embitter, strengthen, exasperate: iram hosti, L.: stridoribus iras, V.
Origins
Probably from the Proto-Indo-European u-stem adjective *h₂eḱus (“sharp, pointed”), from *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) (whence acus (“needle; pin”)). By surface analysis, acus + -ō.
Descendants
- Italianacuire