Sharp

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ʃɑːp/

Definitions

1. Having a thin edge or point capable of cutting or piercing easily, or being quick and alert in perception
2. Possessing a thin, keen edge or point for cutting or puncturing, while also indicating intelligence and quick-wittedness in understanding or reacting
3. Characterized by a fine edge or pinpoint suitable for slicing, alongside displaying astuteness and rapid comprehension in thought

Etymology: Few English words are as old or as widely shared as this one. Its ancestor, reconstructed as ""skarpaz" in Proto-Germanic, meant something like "cutting" or "sharp-edged," and it passed unchanged in spirit through Old English "sċearp," still recognisably the modern word. The same root gave German "scharf," Dutch "scherp," and Danish "skarp," so the adjective has been cutting across the North Sea languages for well over a thousand years. The root goes back further still, to Proto-Indo-European ""(s)ker-," meaning "to cut." That ancient verb also lies behind "shear," which is why the two words are linked in the etymological record. Related forms appear far from England too: Irish "cearb" meant "keen; cutting," and Latin "acerbus," meaning "tart" or "bitter," is a distant relative, showing how a physical edge could be carried over into taste.

Synonyms: keen, acute, pointed, piercing, edged

Antonyms: blunt, dull, flat, rounded, smooth