[ad. L. acūmināt-us pa. pple. of acūminā-re to point; f. acūmen, acūmin-, see ACUMEN.]
1. Pointed, tapered or tapering to a point. esp. in Nat. Hist.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., 369. The Nightingale hath some disadvantage in the tongue; which is not acuminate and pointed as in the rest, but seemeth as it were cut off.
1650. Bulwer, Anthropomet., i. 16. If the Occipitium transgresse its bounds the Head is acuminate.
a. 1661. Holyday, Juv., 210. The other [tiara] upright and acuminate, worn only by kings.
1794. Martyn, Rousseau’s Bot., xxix. 454. You will know it by the lance-shaped, acuminate leaves.
1874. E. Coues, Birds of N.-West, 401. The tail equals, or rather exceeds, the wing in length, and consists of twenty very narrow acuminate feathers.
1875. Blake, Zool., 201. The teeth are conical, acuminate, and crowded.
b. absol. quasi-sb. A pointed form.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn. (1640), 109. He had on his Head a pair of Hornes, riseing in a sharp acuminate to Heaven.
† 2. Having acumen, sharp-witted. Obs. rare.
1654. Gayton, Festiv. Notes, IV. v. 198. Rare, acuminate, quick and phantasticall blades of your employment, that have hundred witty Remoras for their guests.
