acuo

acuo

Latin

Etymology

From acus (“a needle, a pin”), derived at a time when it was still a u-stem (or -ui-?) adjective.

Pronunciation

Verb

acuō (present infinitive acuere, perfect active acuī, supine acūtum); third conjugation

  1. to make pointed, sharpen, whet
    Antonym: hebeto
  2. to exercise, practice, improve
    • 46 BCE, Cicero, Brutus 97:
      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”)
  3. to spur, stimulate, arouse
    • c. 185 BCE – 159 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, The Brothers 5.3.49:[1]
      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.
    • 59 BCE – 17 CE, Titus Livius, History of Rome 28.19.14-15:[2]
      non 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 brave
  4. (grammar) to put an acute accent on

Conjugation

   Conjugation of acuō (third conjugation)
indicative singular plural
first second third first second third
active present acuō acuis acuit acuimus acuitis acuunt
imperfect acuēbam acuēbās acuēbat acuēbāmus acuēbātis acuēbant
future acuam acuēs acuet acuēmus acuētis acuent
perfect acuī acuistī acuit acuimus acuistis acuērunt,
acuēre
pluperfect acueram acuerās acuerat acuerāmus acuerātis acuerant
future perfect acuerō acueris acuerit acuerimus acueritis acuerint
passive present acuor acueris,
acuere 		acuitur acuimur acuiminī acuuntur
imperfect acuēbar acuēbāris,
acuēbāre 		acuēbātur acuēbāmur acuēbāminī acuēbantur
future acuar acuēris,
acuēre 		acuētur acuēmur acuēminī acuentur
perfect acūtus + present active indicative of sum
pluperfect acūtus + imperfect active indicative of sum
future perfect acūtus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive singular plural
first second third first second third
active present acuam acuās acuat acuāmus acuātis acuant
imperfect acuerem acuerēs acueret acuerēmus acuerētis acuerent
perfect acuerim acuerīs acuerit acuerīmus acuerītis acuerint
pluperfect acuissem acuissēs acuisset acuissēmus acuissētis acuissent
passive present acuar acuāris,
acuāre 		acuātur acuāmur acuāminī acuantur
imperfect acuerer acuerēris,
acuerēre 		acuerētur acuerēmur acuerēminī acuerentur
perfect acūtus + present active subjunctive of sum
pluperfect acūtus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative singular plural
first second third first second third
active present — acue — — acuite —
future — acuitō acuitō — acuitōte acuuntō
passive present — acuere — — acuiminī —
future — acuitor acuitor — — acuuntor
non-finite forms infinitive participle
active passive active passive
present acuere acuī acuēns —
future acūtūrum esse acūtum īrī acūtūrus acuendus
perfect acuisse acūtum esse — acūtus
future perfect — acūtum fore — —
perfect potential acūtūrum fuisse — — —
verbal nouns gerund supine
genitive dative accusative ablative accusative ablative
acuendī acuendō acuendum acuendō acūtum acūtū

Derived terms

Descendants

  • → Italian: acuire

References

  1. ^ Barsby, John (15 December 2001), Phormio. The Mother-in-Law. The Brothers (Loeb Classical Library), Harvard University Press, →ISBN
  2. ^ Yardley, J. C. (15 June 2021), History of Rome, Volume VIII (Loeb Classical Library), Harvard University Press, →ISBN
  • “acuo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “acuo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • “acuo”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
    • (ambiguous) to sharpen the wits: ingenium acuere
    • (ambiguous) to cultivate one's powers of criticism: iudicium acuere
  • acuo in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016
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