acuity

[uh-kyoo-i-tee] /əˈkyu ɪ ti/
noun
1.
sharpness; acuteness; keenness:
acuity of vision; acuity of mind.
Origin
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
Examples from the web for acuity
  • There may also have been selection for other factors, such as mental acuity.
  • While that sentiment may seem bleak, it is only because the author approaches the nature of fear with uncommon acuity and insight.
  • Some have hospital-style triage units to rank the acuity of students who cross their thresholds.
  • In fact, he tells me, his mental acuity has grown stronger over the past year.
  • The researchers measured each child's visual acuity at the start of the study, and at five, 16 and 26 weeks of treatment.
  • She presided over the reception of 64 guests with the same brisk acuity she had at her restaurant.
  • Carey stirs his bowl of allusive soup with a new spoon of social acuity.
  • These graceful essays reward with their wide-angled historical perspective and political acuity.
  • This makes a modest demand on visual acuity, but is not difficult and perfection is not required.
  • This rich atmosphere and social acuity raises his second novel well above the standard in the genre.
British Dictionary definitions for acuity

acuity

/əˈkjuːɪtɪ/
noun
1.
keenness or acuteness, esp in vision or thought
2.
the capacity of the eye to see fine detail, measured by determining the finest detail that can just be detected
Word Origin
C15: from Old French, from Latin acūtusacute
Word Origin and History for acuity
n.

early 15c., from Middle French acuité (16c.) or directly from Medieval Latin acuitatem (nominative acuitas) "sharpness," from Latin acuere "to sharpen," related to acus "needle," acuere "to sharpen," from PIE root *ak- "rise to a point, be sharp" (see acrid).

acuity in Medicine

acuity a·cu·i·ty (ə-kyōō'ĭ-tē)
n.
Sharpness, clearness, and distinctness of perception or vision.