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sense

noun

  1. any of the manners by which living beings perceive the physical world
  2. The meaning, reason, or value of something
  3. process of perceiving, literally or figuratively, physically or intuitively
L18025 on Wikidata ↗

verb

  1. To use biological senses: to either see, hear, smell, taste, or feel
  2. To instinctively be aware
  3. perceive, literally or figuratively, physically or intuitively
L186 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /sɛns/ / /sɛnts/ / /sɪns/

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sent-der. Proto-Italic *sentjō Latin sentiō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin sēnsusbor. Proto-Germanic *sinnaz Frankish *sinnbor. Vulgar Latin *sennus Old French sensbor. Middle English sense English sense From Middle English sense, from Old French sens, sen, san (“sense, perception, direction”); partly from Latin sēnsus (“sensation, feeling, meaning”), from sentiō (“feel, perceive”); partly of Germanic origin (whence also Occitan sen, Italian senno), from Vulgar Latin *sennus (“sense, reason, way”), from Frankish *sinn ("reason, judgement, mental faculty, way, direction"; whence also Dutch zin, German Sinn, Swedish sinne, Norwegian sinn). Both Latin and Germanic from Proto-Indo-European *sent- (“to feel”).

  1. Any of the manners by which living beings perceive the physical world: for humans sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste.

    Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep.

    What surmounts the reach / Of human sense I shall delineate.

  2. Perception through the intellect; apprehension; awareness.

    a sense of security

    this Basilius, having the quick sense of a lover

  3. Sound practical or moral judgment.

    It’s common sense not to put metal objects in a microwave oven.

    some People so Harden'd in Wickedness, as to have No Sense at all of the most Friendly Offices, or the Highest Benefits.

  4. The meaning, reason, or value of something.

    You don’t make any sense.

    I think ’twas in another sense.

  5. The meaning, reason, or value of something.

    the various senses of the word “car” (e.g., motor car, elevator car, railcar)

  6. The meaning, reason, or value of something.
  7. A natural appreciation or ability.

    A keen musical sense

  8. The way that a referent is presented.
  9. One of two opposite directions in which a vector (especially of motion) may point. See also polarity.
  10. One of two opposite directions of rotation, clockwise versus anti-clockwise.
  11. referring to the strand of a nucleic acid that directly specifies the product.

verb

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sent-der. Proto-Italic *sentjō Latin sentiō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin sēnsusbor. Proto-Germanic *sinnaz Frankish *sinnbor. Vulgar Latin *sennus Old French sensbor. Middle English sense English sense From Middle English sense, from Old French sens, sen, san (“sense, perception, direction”); partly from Latin sēnsus (“sensation, feeling, meaning”), from sentiō (“feel, perceive”); partly of Germanic origin (whence also Occitan sen, Italian senno), from Vulgar Latin *sennus (“sense, reason, way”), from Frankish *sinn ("reason, judgement, mental faculty, way, direction"; whence also Dutch zin, German Sinn, Swedish sinne, Norwegian sinn). Both Latin and Germanic from Proto-Indo-European *sent- (“to feel”).

  1. To use biological senses: to either see, hear, smell, taste, or feel.
  2. To instinctively be aware.

    She immediately sensed her disdain.

  3. To comprehend.