acumen

acumen
\ \ [16] Acumen is a direct borrowing from Latin acūmen, which meant both literally ‘point’ and figuratively ‘sharpness’. It derived from the verb acueresharpen’, which was also the source of English acute. The original pronunciation of acumen in English was /ə_kjūmen/, with the stress on the second syllable, very much on the pattern of the Latin original; it is only relatively recently that a pronunciation with the stress on the first syllable has become general.
\ \ Cf.ACUTE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • acumen — ⇒ACUMEN, subst. masc. A. BOTANIQUE : • 1. Acumen. C est ainsi qu on désigne parfois un petit prolongement qui termine certains organes foliacés. E. A. CARRIÈRE, Encyclopédie horticole, 1862, p. 7. Au fig. Acuité de l esprit, pénétration et… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • acumen — (del lat. «acūmen, ĭnis») m. Agudeza de la punta o corte de un utensilio o arma. ⊚ Intensidad de un dolor. ⊚ Perspicacia de la vista o el oído. * * * acumen. (Del lat. acūmen, ĭnis). m. desus. Agudeza, perspicacia, ingenio …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Acumen — may refer to:* Acumen Fund, a non profit global venture fund* Acumen Nation, an American rock music group …   Wikipedia

  • acumen — UK US /ˈækjʊmən/ noun [U] ► skill in making correct decisions and judgments in business or in a particular area of business: »He is an astute man with sound business acumen. »commercial/financial/legal acumen …   Financial and business terms

  • Acumen — A*cu men, n. [L. acumen, fr. acuere to sharpen. Cf. {Acute}.] Quickness of perception or discernment; penetration of mind; the faculty of nice discrimination. Selden. [1913 Webster] Syn: Sharpness; sagacity; keenness; shrewdness; acuteness. [1913 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • acumen — (n.) 1530s, from L. acumen a point, sting, hence mental sharpness, shrewdness, from acuere to sharpen (see ACUITY (Cf. acuity)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • acumen — (Del lat. acūmen, ĭnis). m. desus. Agudeza, perspicacia, ingenio …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • acumen — I noun acuity, astuteness, caliber, cleverness, common sense, comprehension, discernment, discretion, discrimination, foresightedness, ingenuity, insight, intelligence, intuition, judgment, keenness, mental acuteness, mental capacity, perception …   Law dictionary

  • acúmen — s. m. O mesmo que acume. • [Brasil] Plural: acúmenes ou acumens. • [Portugal] Plural: acúmenes …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • acumen — penetration, *discernment, insight, perception, discrimination Analogous words: shrewdness, sagacity, perspicacity, astuteness (see corresponding adjectives at SHREWD): sharpness, keenness, acuteness (see corresponding adjectives at SHARP)… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • acumen — The 19c pronunciation as recorded in the OED was with the stress on the second syllable. This is still the dominant pronunciation in AmE, but in BrE stress on the first syllable is now standard …   Modern English usage

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