acuo

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. 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,

id. Verr. 4, 147:

respondeo,

id. Cael. 17:

scribo,

id. 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; id. Verr. 3, 20.