noun

ăcus

gen. ăcūs · gender feminine · decl. 4th

A needle; pin; pointed

A needle or pin, as being pointed, both for common use and ornament:quasarcinatrix veletiam ornatrix utitur, Paul. ex Fest. p. 9 Müll.

to embroider; a hair-pin; a surgeon's needle •

Lit.: mirabar vulnus, quod acu punctum videtur, Cic. Mil. 24.—Hence, acu pingere, to embroider, Verg. A. 9, 582; Ov. M. 6, 23; cf. Plin. 8, 48, § 191; Isid. Orig. 19, 22, 22.—Esp. a hair-pin: figat acus tortas sustineatque comas, Mart. 14, 24: foramen acūs, the eye of a needle, Vulg. Matt. 19, 24.—Also, a surgeon's needle, a probe, Cels. 7, 17.—Hence,

to touch the thing with a needle;; to hit the nail on the head figuratively •

Trop.: acu rem tangere, to touch the thing with a needle; in Engl. phrase, to hit the nail on the head, Plaut. Rud. 5, 2, 19; so, to denote careful and successful effort: si acum quaereres, acum invenisses, id. Men. 2, 1, 13.—

The tongue of a buckle

The tongue of a buckle, Treb. Poll. Claud. 14.—

I. q. acus, ĕris, Col. 2, 10, 40.—

An implement of husbandry

An implement of husbandry, Pall. 1, 43, 2.

Perseus ID: n649 Key: acus1