Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Tapering gradually to a sharp point, as the tips of certain leaves.
- v. To sharpen or taper.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To bring to a point; render sharp or keen: as, “to acuminate despair,”
- To taper or rise to a point.
- Pointed; acute. Specifically — In botany, having a long, tapering termination: applied to leaves and other organs. When the narrowing takes place at the base it is so expressed, for example, acuminate at the base; when the word is used without any limitation it always refers to the apex.
- In ichthyology, drawn out in a long point: said of the fins.
Wiktionary
- adj. Tapering to a point; pointed.
- adj. botany, mycology Tapering to a long point at its apex.
- v. transitive To render sharp or keen; to sharpen.
- v. intransitive To end in or come to a sharp point.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Tapering to a point; pointed.
- v. rare To render sharp or keen.
- v. To end in, or come to, a sharp point.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. (of a leaf shape) narrowing to a slender point
- v. make sharp or acute; taper; make (something) come to a point
Etymologies
- From Late Latin acuminatus, past participle of acuminare, to sharpen to a point (Wiktionary)
- Latin acūminātus, past participle of acūmināre, to sharpen, from acūmen, acuteness; see acumen. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“This forest type is dominated by evergreen tree species with scattered deciduous trees such as Dipterocarpus kerri, Anogeissus acuminate, Pometia pinnata and Lagerstroemia calyculata.”
“Leaves a span long, cordato acuminate; the laminae all pointing downwards, glossy green and glabrous above.”
Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia
“Evaluating Alnus acuminate as a component in agroforestry systems.”
“The leaflets are rather large, 7 x 3.5 to 11 x 5.5 cm and ovate to elliptic in shape, with a pronounced acuminate tip.”
“Leaves opposite, variable in size and shape, but essentially ovate to cordate with a deep basal sinus, acuminate.”
“The leaves are cordate-orbicular to ovate-orbicular, strongly acuminate, 15-30 cm long and broad; the petioles are thickened at the base with ear like projections that often encircle the stem.”
“GUNN, J.A. (1944) A comparison of the biological and chemical assays of Atropa belladonna and Atropa acuminate.”
“Conico-acuminate: in the form of a long, pointed cone.”
“It bears some resemblance to _Proteoteras æsculana_, but differs from it in the following particulars, so far as can be ascertained from the poor material examined: The primaries are shorter and more acuminate at apex.”
“The long acuminate points, the sharper serratures, the more numerous nerves (nine to fourteen in number), and the more papery texture distinguish Z. acuminata easily from its Caucasian relative, Z. crenata.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘acuminate’.
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Leaves
phyllodial, phyllodium, phyllodineous, leaf, lamina, petiole, stoma, cuticle, stomata, apex, vein, craspedodromous and 122 more...
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Rare Words - A
Not just rare words, but thousands of RARE WORDS WITH DEFINITIONS.
If you want to see the definitions, too, go to
http://phrontistery.i...aba, abacinate, abactor, abaculus, abaft, abampere, abapical, abarticular, abasement, abasia, abask, abatis and 1214 more...
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Mycology
basidiomycete, initiation, fungus, shiitake, inoculum, substrate, fruit body, mycelium, hyphal growth, oyster, spawn run, polypore and 207 more...
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Used
halcyon, ineluctable, inspissated, incarnadine, askance, demur, saltation, requisite, effusive, specious, liminality, indomitable and 114 more...
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Words build meanings from origins( et...
These come from gamma meditation ,I think.
discursive, exogenous, machinations, purportedly, sumptuous, congruity, cantankerous, incongruous, festoon, hessian, ratiocinative, stratigraphic and 2042 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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phrontistery - a
from phrontistery.info
aba, abacinate, abactor, abaculus, abaft, abampere, abasia, abask, abb, abba, abbatial, abra and 1214 more...
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Philosophic , etymology
every major discipline has uniquely developed esoteric nomenclature to facilitate interdisciplinary dissemination
quale , qualia, elegy, tacet, lexicon, annunciate, caste, eros, contrive, purlicue, irony, venacular, dilapidate and 566 more...
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Free rice 2013.05
habiliment, inunction, mulct, acuminate, paillette, pelerine, pelagic, dudeen
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To a point
to the point
dot, betoken, cusp, nib, neb, nadir, bespeak, eutectic, punctilio, fulcrum, stretch a point, make a point and 69 more...
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Something I -ate
Words in which the "-ate" suffix is used to mean "having," "resembling," "-like."
roseate, acaudate, lyrate, pinnate, acerate, falcate, pedunculate, petiolate, oblate, tessellate, spatulate, fimbriate and 158 more...
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Most Obscure Words
acatalectic, acosmism, acuate, acuminate, adscititious, adytum, akratisma, alieniloquy, allelomorph, allochiria, allodium, alnage and 620 more...
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euphonic logorrhea
cephalopodous, plumulaceous, oblomovism, etiolation, pavonine, somnolent, logorrhea, fulguration, gossamer, prestidigitation, daffodil, inchoate and 174 more...
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patterns
ergodic, stochastic, stereopsis, echolocation, holocation, broker, map, intarsia, encipher, ocellus, muslin, mandelbrot set and 159 more...
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ulyssean
... as in "by James Joyce"
stately, plump, aloft, gurgling, untonsured, chrysostomos, jowl, parapet, jesuit, indigestion, scutter, noserag and 688 more...
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word list
abandon, ache, augment, avow, atone, approbate, apprehend, abut, apostatize, abase, abash, abate and 155 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for acuminate.
knitandpurl "From the stern keep of the Norman overlord issued forth decrees and exactions; in a world of wood, wheat and water, its high stone walls were the most adamantine confirmation of the temporal order, just as the acuminate spire of the church pricked the oppressive heavens."
Psychogeography by Will Self, 145 Oct 16, 2010
brtom " A couched spear of acuminated granite rested by him ..."
Joyce, Ulysses, 12 Jan 13, 2007