acute
/əˈkjuːt; ə`kjut/ adj (-r, -st) 1 very great; severe 极大的; 严重的: suffer acute hardship 遭受极大的苦难 * There's an acute shortage of water. 严重缺水. 2 (a) (of feelings or the senses) keen; sharp; penetrating （指感觉或感官）敏锐的, 深刻的, 剧烈的: suffer acute pain, embarrassment, remorse, etc 感到剧烈的疼痛, 极度的尴尬, 深深的懊悔等 * Dogs have an acute sense of smell. 狗的嗅觉很敏锐. (b) shrewd; perceptive 精明的; 有观察力的: He is an acute observer. 他是个敏锐的观察家. * Her judgement is acute. 她的判断力很强. 3 (of an illness) coming quickly to the most severe or critical stage （指疾病）急性的: acute appendicitis 急性阑尾炎 * an acute patient, ie one whose illness has reached this stage 患急性病的病人. Cf 参看 chronic.
