acuminate

[ adjective uh-kyoo-muh-nit, -neyt; verb uh-kyoo-muh-neyt ]

/ adjective əˈkyu mə nɪt, -ˌneɪt; verb əˈkyu məˌneɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR acuminate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

Botany, Zoology. pointed; tapering to a point.

verb (used with object), a·cu·mi·nat·ed, a·cu·mi·nat·ing.

to make sharp or keen.

Nearby words

acuff, acuity, aculeate, aculeus, acumen, acuminate, acupoint, acupressure, acupuncture, acupuncturist, acus

Origin of acuminate

1595–1605; < Latin acūminātus (past participle of acūmināre), equivalent to acūmin- (stem of acūmen) acumen + -ātus -ate¹

Related forms

a·cu·mi·na·tion, nounsub·a·cu·mi·nate, adjectivesub·a·cu·mi·na·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for acuminate

The leaves are elliptic, acuminate, and marked with three longitudinal nerves.
The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom|P. L. Simmonds
Leaves much smaller, less oblique at the base, finely and regularly crenate, acuminate rather than cuspidate.
Woodland Gleanings|Charles Tilt
The second glume is membranous, ovate or oblong-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, thinly scaberulous and 1-nerved.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses|Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar
The leaves of this one were heart-shaped and acuminate, its stem sinuous, and its flowers of a dark purple colour.
The Quadroon|Mayne Reid

The second glume is five or six times as long as the first, ovate lanceolate, 1-nerved, acuminate.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses|Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar

British Dictionary definitions for acuminate

acuminate

adjective (əˈkjuːmɪnɪt, -ˌneɪt)

narrowing to a sharp point, as some types of leaf

verb (əˈkjuːmɪˌneɪt)

(tr) to make pointed or sharp

Derived Forms

acumination, noun

Word Origin for acuminate

C17: from Latin acūmināre to sharpen; see acumen

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

acuminate

adjective

verb (used with object), a·cu·mi·nat·ed, a·cu·mi·nat·ing.

Nearby words

Origin of acuminate

Related forms

Examples from the Web for acuminate

British Dictionary definitions for acuminate

acuminate

adjective (əˈkjuːmɪnɪt, -ˌneɪt)

verb (əˈkjuːmɪˌneɪt)

Derived Forms

Word Origin for acuminate

Medicine definitions for acuminate

acuminate

adj.