9 April 2016
acuity
[uh-kyoo-i-tee]
noun
1. sharpness; acuteness; keenness:
acuity of vision; acuity of mind.
Origin of acuity
late Middle English Old French Late Latin
1375-1425; late Middle English acuite < Old French < Medieval Latin, Late Latin acuitās, equivalent to Latin acu (ere) to sharpen or acū (tus) sharpened (see acute ) + -itās -ity
Related forms
hyperacuity, noun
nonacuity, noun
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for acuity
Contemporary Examples
His remarkable memory has lost its acuity, and he tires easily.
Nelson Mandela Recovering in South Africa After Brief Hospital Scare
Charlene Smith
February 26, 2012
The unblinking electronic eye was an extension of his own reflexes and acuity —when the red light went on, all else was excluded.
‘A Fiery Tribune’
Clive Irving
August 31, 2013
Historical Examples
The portraits of certain artists in this unique volume recite the history of the critic’s acuity and clairvoyance.
Unicorns
James Huneker
Anagram
icy tau
Today’s quote
Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.
– Henry David Thoreau
On this day
9 April 1413 – Henry V crowned King of England.
9 April 1682 – Robert Cavelier de la Salle discovers the mouth of the Mississippi River. He names it Louisiana and claims it in the name of France.
9 April 1865 – Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders his 28,000 troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the Civil War.
9 April 1867 – United States Senate ratifies by one vote, a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska.
9 April 1937 – the first Japanese-made aircraft to fly to Europe lands at Croydon Airport, London. It’s name is the Kamikaze.
9 April 1945 – execution of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident. He was executed at Flossenburg Concentration Camp two weeks before the camp was liberated by US soldiers. Born 4 February 1904.
9 April 1948 – around 120 fighters from the Zionist paramilitary groups Irgun and Lehi attacked Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, a Palestinian Arab village of roughly 600 people. The assault occurred as Jewish militia sought to retaliate against the blockade of Jerusalem by Palestinian Arab forces during the civil war that preceded the end of British rule in Palestine. The Palestinians tried to resist the attack, but the village fell after fierce house-to-house fighting. 107 Palestinians were murdered during and after the battle for the village, including women and children—some were shot, while others died when hand grenades were thrown into their homes. Several villagers were taken prisoner and may have been killed after being paraded through the streets of West Jerusalem. Four of the attackers were killed, with around 35 injured. The killings were condemned by the leadership of the Haganah—the Jewish community’s main paramilitary force—and by the area’s two chief rabbis. The Jewish Agency for Israel sent Jordan’s King Abdullah a letter of apology, which he rebuffed. Abdullah held the Jewish Agency responsible for the massacre, because they were the head of Jewish affairs in Palestine. He warned about “terrible consequences” if more incidents like that occurred. The deaths became a pivotal event in the Arab–Israeli conflict for their demographic and military consequences. The narrative was embellished and used by various parties to attack each other—by Palestinians against Israeli forces; by the Haganah to hide their complicity in the affair; and by the Israeli left to accuse the Irgun and Lehi of violating the Jewish principle of purity of arms, thus exposing Israel’s behaviour to the world. News of the killings sparked terror among Palestinians, encouraging them to flee from their towns and villages in the face of Jewish troop advances, and it strengthened the resolve of Arab governments to intervene, which they did five weeks later. (Wikipedia.org)