Words: cute [MW]

(I remember a Peanuts cartoon where all the kids are oohing and aahing over Charlie Brown's new baby sister Sally, peppering the panels with the word "cute" before he comments, if I recall, "Where would we be without the word 'cute'?" It made me ponder a synonym or definition for the word, plus an explanation for why we find a baby or a bauble cute in the first place. I decided that the only synonym one could substitute for cute was diminutive: small, evincing a doll-like or innocent appearance that people find disarming, attractive, or otherwise appealing to their affections.)

Pronunciation: 'kyüt
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): cut·er; cut·est
Etymology: short for acute
1 a : clever or shrewd often in an underhanded manner b : IMPERTINENT, SMART-ALECKY "don't get cute with me"
2 : attractive or pretty especially in a dainty or delicate way
3 : obviously straining for effect