perspicacious

WOTD - 7 January 2008    

English

Etymology

First attested 1548, from Late Latin perspicācitās (“discernment”), from Latin perspicax (“sharp-sighted”), from perspiciō (“look through”), from per- (“through”) + speciō (“look at”). See also perspective.

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˌpɜː.spɪˈkeɪ.ʃəs/, SAMPA: /%p3:.spI"keI.S@s/
• (US) enPR: pûr'spĭ·kā'shəs, IPA: /ˌpɜːɹ.spɪˈkeɪ.ʃəs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪʃəs
• Hyphenation: per‧spi‧ca‧cious

Adjective

perspicacious (comparative more perspicacious, superlative most perspicacious)

1. (figuratively) Of acute discernment; having keen insight; mentally perceptive.
2. (obsolete) Able to physically see clearly; quick-sighted; sharp-sighted.

Derived terms

terms derived from perspicacious

perspicaciously

perspicaciousness

Related terms

terms related to perspicacious

perspicacity perspicuity perspicuous

perspicuously perspicuousness

Translations

showing keen insight

Dutch: scherpzinnig (nl), spitsvondig (nl), schrander (nl) Finnish: tarkkanäköinen (fi) French: perspicace (fr) German: scharfsinnig (de) Italian: perspicace (it) Japanese: (acute discernment) 明察 (ja) (めいさつ, mēsatsu); (having keen insight) 明敏 (ja) (めいびん, mēbin), 明達 (ja) (めいたつ, mētatsu)

Latin: perspicax (genitive perspicacis) Norwegian (bokmål): skarpsindig (no) Norwegian (nynorsk): skarpsindig (nn) Polish: wnikliwy m. Russian: проницательный (ru) (pronicát'el'nyj) Spanish: perspicaz (es) sg., perspicaces (es) pl.

Able to physically see clearly

Dutch: scherpziend Japanese: 明視 (ja) (めいし, mēshi) Latin: perspicax (genitive perspicacis) Norwegian (bokmål): klarsynt (no)

Norwegian (nynorsk): klarsynt (nn)/klårsynt (nn) Polish: bystry (pl) m. Russian: зоркий (ru) (zórkij) Swedish: klarsynt (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Mandarin: 穎悟, 颖悟 (yingwu) French: perspicace (fr), voyant claire German: scharfsehend Greek: οξυδερκής (oxyderkés)

Korean: 이해가 빠른 (ihaega ppareun)

See also

• clairvoyant
• conspicuous
• perspective