sense

See also: Sense and sensé

English

Alternative forms

• sence (archaic)

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

From Middle English sense, borrowed from Old French sens, sen, san (“sense, reason, direction”); partly from Latin sensus (“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 Old Frankish *sinn (“reason, judgement, mental faculty, way, direction”), from Proto-Germanic *sinnaz (“mind, meaning”). Both Latin and Germanic from Proto-Indo-European *sent- (“to feel”).

Pronunciation

• (standard) enPR: sĕns, IPA^(key): /sɛn(t)s/
• (pen-pin merger) IPA^(key): /sɪn(t)s/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛns
• Homophones: cents, scents, since (some dialects)

Noun

sense (countable and uncountable, plural senses)

2. Any of the manners by which living beings perceive the physical world: for humans sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste.
   • (Can we date this quote by William Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep.

   • (Can we date this quote by Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

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

4. Perception through the intellect; apprehension; awareness.

   a sense of security

   • (Can we date this quote by Sir Philip Sidney and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     this Basilius, having the quick sense of a lover

   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     high disdain from sense of injured merit

6. Sound practical or moral judgment.

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

   • (Can we date this quote by L'Estrange and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Some are so hardened in wickedness as to have no sense of the most friendly offices.

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

   You don’t make any sense.

   the true sense of words or phrases

   • Bible, Neh. viii. 8

     So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense.

   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     I think 'twas in another sense.

10. A natural appreciation or ability.

    A keen musical sense

12. (pragmatics) The way that a referent is presented.
14. (semantics) A single conventional use of a word; one of the entries for a word in a dictionary.
16. (mathematics) One of two opposite directions in which a vector (especially of motion) may point. See also polarity.
18. (mathematics) One of two opposite directions of rotation, clockwise versus anti-clockwise.
20. (biochemistry) referring to the strand of a nucleic acid that directly specifies the product.

Hyponyms

• business sense
• common sense
• fashion sense
• sense of humor
• sense of humour
• sixth sense
• transferred sense

 

• See also Thesaurus:sense

Derived terms

• common-sense

Related terms

• come to one's senses
• extrasensory
• sensation
• sense organ
• sensible
• sensitive
• sensor
• sensorium
• sensual
• sensuous

 

Descendants

• → Afrikaans: sense

Translations

manner by which living beings perceive the physical world

• Afrikaans: sintuig
• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Amharic: please add this translation if you can
• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Aragonese: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: զգացում (hy) (zgacʻum), զգացողություն (hy) (zgacʻoġutʻyun)
• Assamese: please add this translation if you can
• Asturian: sentíu m
• Aymara: please add this translation if you can
• Azerbaijani: please add this translation if you can
• Bashkir: хис (xis), тойғо (toyğo)
• Basque: zentzumen
• Belarusian: пачуццё (be) n (pačuccjó)
• Bengali: please add this translation if you can
• Breton: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Burmese: အာရုံ (my) (arum)
• Catalan: sentit (ca) m
• Cherokee: please add this translation if you can
• Chichewa: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 感覺／感觉 (zh) (gǎnjué), 感觉 (zh) (gǎnjué)

• Corsican: please add this translation if you can
• Czech: smysl (cs) m
• Danish: sans c
• Dhivehi: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: zintuig (nl) n
• Esperanto: sentumo (eo)
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: aisti (fi)
• French: sens (fr) m
• Galician: sentido (gl) m
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Sinn (de) m
• Greek: αίσθηση (el) f (aísthisi)

  Ancient: αἴσθησις f (aísthēsis)

• Hebrew: חוּשׁ (he) m (khúsh)
• Hungarian: érzék (hu), érzékelés (hu)
• Ido: senso (io)
• Irish: céadfa f
• Italian: senso (it) m
• Japanese: 感覚 (ja) (かんかく, kankaku)
• Khmer: ឥន្ទ្រិយ (ʼəntrii), វិញ្ញាណ (km) (vɨññiən)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 감각 (ko) (gamgak)
• Latgalian: nūjauta f
• Latvian: maņa f
• Lithuanian: nuojauta f, uoslė f
• Luganda: please add this translation if you can
• Luxembourgish: Sënn m
• Malay: indera, deria
• Malayalam: please add this translation if you can
• Manx: ennaghtyn m, keeall f
• Maori: tairongo
• Marathi: please add this translation if you can
• Mirandese: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: sans (no) m
• Novial: please add this translation if you can
• Occitan: sentit m, sens m
• Oriya: please add this translation if you can
• Pashto: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: zmysł (pl) m
• Portuguese: sentido (pt) m
• Punjabi: please add this translation if you can
• Rajasthani: please add this translation if you can
• Romanian: simț (ro) n
• Romansch: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: чу́вство (ru) n (čúvstvo), ощуще́ние (ru) n (oščuščénije)
• Scots: please add this translation if you can
• Scottish Gaelic: ceudfath m
• Serbo-Croatian: osjet (sh) m
• Sicilian: sensu (scn) m, senzu (scn) m
• Sindhi: please add this translation if you can
• Sinhalese: please add this translation if you can
• Slovak: please add this translation if you can
• Slovene: čutilo n, čut (sl) m
• Somali: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: sentido (es) m
• Swedish: sinne (sv) n
• Turkish: duyu (tr)
• Ukrainian: чуття́ (čuttjá), відчуття́ (uk) (vidčuttjá)
• Venetian: sènso m, senso m
• Volapük: sien (vo)
• Walloon: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: synnwyr (cy) m
• Xhosa: please add this translation if you can
• Yiddish: please add this translation if you can
• Yoruba: please add this translation if you can
• Zulu: please add this translation if you can

conscious awareness

• Arabic: إِحْسَاس (ar) m (ʔiḥsās)
• Belarusian: пачуццё (be) n (pačuccjó)
• Catalan: sensació (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 感覺／感觉 (zh) (gǎnjué), 感觉 (zh) (gǎnjué)

• Czech: smysl (cs) m
• Danish: fornemmelse (da)
• Dhivehi: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: gevoel (nl) n, gewaarwording (nl) f
• Finnish: tunne (fi)
• French: sens (fr) m
• Galician: senso (gl) m
• Georgian: გრძნობა (grʒnoba)
• German: Gefühl (de) n, Sinn (de) m
• Greek: αίσθηση (el) f (aísthisi), συναίσθημα (el) n (synaísthima)

  Ancient Greek: αἴσθησις f (aísthēsis)

• Hebrew: תחושה (he) f (tkhúsha)
• Hungarian: érzés (hu), érzet (hu)
• Ido: senso (io)
• Indonesian: budi (id)
• Irish: ciall f
• Italian: senso (it) m, coscienza (it) f, sensazione (it) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 意識 (ja) (いしき, ishiki)
• Khmer: អារម្មណ៍ (km) (ʼaarɑm)
• Korean: 감각 (ko) (gamgak)
• Latgalian: pajauta f, jutūne f
• Latvian: sajūta
• Lithuanian: jutimas, jausmas
• Luxembourgish: Sënn m, Gefill (lb) n
• Manx: keeall f
• Maori: parangēki (as in foreboding)
• Polish: poczucie (pl) n
• Portuguese: senso (pt) m
• Russian: чу́вство (ru) n (čúvstvo), ощуще́ние (ru) n (oščuščénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: ciall f, brìgh f, mothachadh m, faireachdainn m, cudthrom m
• Slovene: občutek (sl) m
• Spanish: sensación (es) f
• Swedish: sinne (sv) n
• Tagalog: dandam, damdam
• Telugu: స్పృహ (te) (spr̥ha)
• Turkish: algı (tr), idrak (tr)
• Ukrainian: відчуття́ (uk) n (vidčuttjá)
• Venetian: sènso m, senso m
• Welsh: pwyll (cy) m

sound judgement

• Asturian: sentíu m
• Catalan: sentit (ca) m
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: (gezond) verstand n
• Finnish: järki (fi)
• French: sens (fr) m
• Galician: sentido (gl) m
• German: Sinn (de) m
• Greek: λογική (el) f (logikí)
• Hebrew: הגיון (he) m (higayón)
• Hungarian: értelem (hu)
• Irish: ciall f, réasún m
• Italian: senso (it) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 感覚 (ja) (かんかく, kankaku), 意識 (ja) (いしき, ishiki), 分別 (ja) (ぶんべつ, funbetsu)
• Khmer: សុភនិច្ឆ័យ (sophĕəʼnɨcchay)
• Luxembourgish: Sënn m
• Manx: keeall f
• Occitan: sens m
• Portuguese: sentido (pt) m
• Romanian: simț (ro) n
• Spanish: sentido (es) m
• Swedish: förnuft (sv) n, förstånd (sv) n, sinne (sv) n
• Turkish: sağduyu (tr), aklıselimlik (tr)
• Venetian: sènso m, senso m
• Welsh: pwyll (cy) m, synnwyr (cy) m
• Yiddish: שׂכל m (seykhl)

meaning or reason

• Arabic: مَعْنًى (ar) m (maʕnan)
• Armenian: իմաստ (hy) (imast)
• Asturian: sentíu m
• Belarusian: значэ́нне n (značénnje)
• Bulgarian: значе́ние (bg) n (značénie)
• Catalan: sentit (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 意義／意义 (zh) (yìyì), 意义 (zh) (yìyì)

• Czech: smysl (cs) m, význam (cs) m
• Finnish: järki (fi)
• French: sens (fr) m
• Galician: sentido (gl) m
• German: Verstand (de) m
• Greek: έννοια (el) f (énnoia)
• Hungarian: értelem (hu)
• Ido: senco (io)
• Irish: ciall f
• Italian: senso (it) m, significato (it) m
• Japanese: 意味 (ja) (いみ, imi)
• Khmer: ន័យ (km) (nɨy), សំនួន (km) (sɑmnuən)
• Korean: 뜻 (ko) (tteut), 의미 (ko) (uimi)
• Latgalian: jāga f, zeimeiba f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latvian: jēga f
• Lithuanian: prasmė (lt) f
• Luxembourgish: Bedeitung f
• Manx: keeall f
• Mongolian: утга (mn) (utga)
• Persian: چم (fa) (čem)
• Polish: sens (pl) m
• Portuguese: sentido (pt) m
• Romanian: sens (ro) n
• Romansch: senn m (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Surmiran), sen m (Sutsilvan, Puter, Vallader)
• Russian: смысл (ru) m (smysl), значе́ние (ru) n (značénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: seagh m, brìgh f, ciallachadh m
• Serbo-Croatian: smisao (sh) m
• Slovak: zmysel m
• Slovene: smisel (sl) m
• Spanish: sentido (es) m
• Swedish: mening (sv) c, bemärkelse (sv) c
• Turkish: mana (tr), anlam (tr)
• Ukrainian: сенс (sens), зна́чення (uk) n (znáčennja)
• Venetian: sènso m, senso m
• Vietnamese: nghĩa (vi), ý nghĩa (vi)
• Welsh: ystyr (cy) f

natural ability

• Catalan: sentit (ca) m
• Finnish: kyky (fi), lahja (fi), lahjakkuus (fi), vaisto (fi)
• Galician: senso (gl) m
• German: Sinn (de)
• Greek: αίσθηση (el) f (aísthisi)
• Hebrew: חוּשׁ (he) m (khúsh)
• Hungarian: érzék (hu)
• Irish: ciall f
• Italian: tocco (it) m
• Japanese: 感覚 (ja) (かんかく, kankaku), センス (ja) (sensu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Luxembourgish: Gespier n
• Manx: keeall f
• Polish: zmysł (pl)
• Portuguese: sentido (pt) m, senso (pt) m
• Romanian: simț (ro) n
• Russian: чу́вство (ru) n (čúvstvo)
• Spanish: sentido (es) m
• Turkish: yeti (tr), yetenek (tr)
• Ukrainian: почуття́ (uk) n (počuttjá)

pragmatics term

• Polish: sens (pl)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: смысл (ru) m (smysl)

semantics term

• Arabic: مَعْنَى (ar) m (maʕnā)
• Armenian: իմաստ (hy) (imast)
• Asturian: significáu m, aceición f, acepción f
• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Catalan: significat (ca) m, accepció (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 意義／意义 (zh) (yìyì), 意义 (zh) (yìyì)

• Czech: smysl (cs) m, význam (cs) m
• Dutch: betekenis (nl) f
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: merkitys (fi)
• French: sens (fr) m
• Galician: significado (gl) m, significación (gl) f, acepción (gl) f, senso (gl) m, sentido (gl) m
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Sinn (de) m, Bedeutung (de) f
• Hebrew: מובן m (muván)
• Hungarian: értelem (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: ciall f
• Italian: senso (it) m, significato (it) m
• Japanese: 意味 (ja) (imi)
• Khmer: អត្ថ (km) (ʼat)
• Korean: 감각 (ko) (gamgak)
• Manx: keeall f
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: sentido (pt) m, significação (pt) f, acepção (pt) f, significado (pt) m
• Romanian: sens (ro) n
• Russian: значе́ние (ru) n (značénije), смысл (ru) m (smysl)
• Slovene: pomen (sl) m
• Spanish: significado (es) m, acepción (es) f, sentido (es) m, significación (es) f
• Swedish: betydelse (sv) c
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: anlam (tr), deme (tr), valör (tr)
• Ukrainian: зна́чення (uk) (znáčennja), сенс (sens)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

math: direction of a vector

• Finnish: suunta (fi)
• Ido: sinso (io)
• Italian: verso (it) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: kierunek (pl) m
• Russian: направле́ние (ru) n (napravlénije)
• Spanish: sentido (es) m

math: direction of rotation

• Finnish: pyörimissuunta
• Ido: sinso (io)
• Polish: kierunek obrotu m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Romanian: sens (ro) n
• Russian: направле́ние (ru) n (napravlénije)
• Spanish: sentido (es) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 官能 (zh) (guānnèng), ^{(please verify)} 感官 (zh) (gǎnguāng), ^{(please verify)} 识别力 (zh) (shíbié lì)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

See also

• audition
• equilibrioception
• gustation
• hearing

• nociception
• olfaction
• proprioception
• sight

• smell
• tactition
• taste
• thermoception

• touch
• vision

Verb

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

   She immediately sensed her disdain.

3. To comprehend.

Translations

use biological senses

• Asturian: sentir (ast)
• Catalan: sentir (ca)
• Dutch: gewaarworden (nl), waarnemen (nl)
• Finnish: aistia (fi)
• French: sentir (fr)
• Galician: sentir (gl)
• German: wahrnehmen (de)
• Greek: αισθάνομαι (el) (aisthánomai)

  Ancient: αἰσθάνομαι (aisthánomai)

• Hebrew: חש (he) (khash)
• Hungarian: érzékel (hu)
• Italian: percepire (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 感じる (ja) (kanjiru)
• Latin: sentiō (la)
• Luxembourgish: spieren
• Maori: rongo
• Old Church Slavonic: чоути (čuti)
• Portuguese: sentir (pt)
• Romanian: simți (ro)
• Russian: чу́вствовать (ru) impf (čúvstvovatʹ), почу́вствовать (ru) pf (počúvstvovatʹ); ощуща́ть (ru) impf (oščuščátʹ), ощути́ть (ru) pf (oščutítʹ)
• Spanish: sentir (es)
• Turkish: algılamak (tr), duyumsamak (tr)

to instinctively be aware

• Finnish: vaistota (fi)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• Greek: αισθάνομαι (el) (aisthánomai), συναισθάνομαι (el) (synaisthánomai)
• Japanese: 感じる (ja) (kanjiru), 察する (sassuru), 気づく (ja) (kizuku)
• Polish: przeczuwać (pl) impf
• Portuguese: sentir (pt)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Romanian: simți (ro)
• Romansch: s'accorscher (da) (Rumantsch Grischun, Surmiran), encorscher (Sursilvan), ancorscher (Sutsilvan), s'inaccordscher (Puter, Vallader)
• Russian: чу́вствовать (ru) impf (čúvstvovatʹ), почу́вствовать (ru) pf (počúvstvovatʹ); ощуща́ть (ru) impf (oščuščátʹ), ощути́ть (ru) pf (oščutítʹ)
• Spanish: sentir (es)
• Swedish: märka (sv), uppfatta (sv)
• Yiddish: שפּירן (shpirn)

to comprehend

• Japanese: 感じる (ja) (kanjiru), 察する (sassuru), 気づく (ja) (kizuku)
• Khmer: យល់ (km) (yʊəl)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: dar sentido

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Latin: ^{(please verify)} sentire
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Anagrams

• Essen, NESes, SE SNe, enses, esnes, seens, senes, snees

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Afrikaans

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English sense.

Noun

sense (uncountable)

1. sense, good sense

Etymology 2

Noun

sense

1. plural of sens

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Catalan

Alternative forms

• sens

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin sine, possibly conflated with absentia, or more likely from sens, itself from Old Catalan sen (with an adverbial -s-), from Latin sine. Compare French sans, Occitan sens, Italian senza.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈsɛn.sə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈsən.sə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencian) [ˈsen.se]

Preposition

sense

1. without

Antonyms

• amb

Further reading

• “sense” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

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Chuukese

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 先生 (sensei).

Noun

sense

1. teacher

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Latin

Participle

(deprecated template usage) sēnse

1. vocative masculine singular of sēnsus