aigu

Aigu is a French adjective meaning sharp, pointed, or high-pitched. In general use it describes something with a pointed form or a bright, piercing quality of sound or tone. The term appears in several common phrases and technical terms.

In geometry, angle aigu refers to an acute angle, which is an angle smaller than 90 degrees. In typography, the accent aigu is the acute accent (´) placed over vowels in French and many other languages; the most familiar example is é, as in école or idée. The accent aigu is one of several diacritical marks used to signal pronunciation and, in some languages, stress or vowel quality.

In music and singing, aigu denotes the high end of the pitch range or a bright, high timbre. French musical terminology often speaks of the registre aigu to describe higher-pitched passages or notes.

Etymologically, aigu derives from Latin acutus meaning sharp or pointed. In gendered French forms, aigu becomes aiguë in feminine constructions (for example, douleur aiguë, voix aiguë). In English, aigu is encountered mainly in linguistic, typographic, or musicological contexts rather than as a common everyday term.

Overall, aigu functions as a versatile descriptor across geometry, typography, and music, with its precise meaning shaped by the domain: pointedness or sharpness in objects, the diacritic mark used on vowels, or high-pitched sound and range in music.