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smart (smärt)
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adj. smart·er, smart·est
1.
a. Having or showing intelligence; bright. See Synonyms at intelligent.
b. Canny and shrewd in dealings with others: a smart negotiator.
2.
a. Amusingly clever; witty: a smart quip; a lively, smart conversation.
b. Impertinent; insolent: That's enough of your smart talk.
3. Energetic or quick in movement: a smart pace.
4. Fashionable; elegant: a smart suit; a smart restaurant; the smart set. See Synonyms at fashionable.
5. Capable of making adjustments that resemble those resulting from human decisions, chiefly by means of electronic sensors and computer technology: smart missiles; smart machines.
intr.v. smart·ed, smart·ing, smarts
1.
a. To cause a sharp, usually superficial, stinging pain: The slap delivered to my face smarted.
b. To be the location of such a pain: The incision on my leg smarts.
c. To feel such a pain.
2. To suffer acutely, as from mental distress, wounded feelings, or remorse: "No creature smarts so little as a fool" (Alexander Pope).
n.
1. Sharp pain or anguish: the smart of the wound.
2. smarts Slang Intelligence; expertise: a reporter with a lot of smarts.
Phrasal Verb:
smart off Informal
To speak or act impertinently.
Idiom:
right smart New England & Southern US
A lot; a considerable amount: "We have read right smart of that book" (Catherine C. Hopley).

[Middle English, stinging, keen, alert, from Old English smeart, causing pain.]

smartly adv.
smartness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.