acuity means sharpness or acuteness, as of a needle, wit, etc. It carries an Arena rating of 1637, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, acuity ranks #361 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,411 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #3,593 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #3,782 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
acuity is pronounced /əˈkjuːɪti/.
Why “acuity” is a great word
The quality of keen sharpness, particularly of thought, vision, or hearing. From Middle English acuite, through Middle French acuité and Medieval Latin acuitas, from Latin acuō ("to sharpen"), first recorded in English in the late 14th or early 15th century. Unlike “wisdom” (which implies the seasoned weight of judgment) or “acumen” (which denotes shrewdness in practical affairs), acuity is the pure, immediate edge of perception itself. It is the falcon’s split-second focus on a distant tremor in the grass, the needle entering silk without resistance, the sting of lemon on a chipped enamel plate—the world’s finest details arriving unblurred and on time.
Etymology
From Middle English acuite, acuyte, from Middle French acuité, from Medieval Latin acuitas, irreg., from Latin acuō (“sharpen”).
noun
- Sharpness or acuteness, as of a needle, wit, etc.
- The ability to think, see, or hear clearly.e.g.“The old woman with dementia lost her mental acuity.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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