Clairsentient

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A person who can intuitively sense emotions and energies without relying on conventional perception displays a unique form of psychic awareness
2. An individual with the ability to emotionally perceive and understand subtle energies beyond ordinary senses possesses a distinct psychic sensitivity
3. A person who experiences emotional or energetic information through a non-physical sense rather than the usual five senses

Etymology: In its formation, this term copies a pattern set by "clairvoyant," which came into English from French in the 18th century. "Clairvoyant" joins French "clair," meaning "clear," and "voyant," meaning "seeing," so the literal sense is "seeing clearly." The prefix "clair-" carries the idea of perceiving something that is not visibly there. The second half comes from Latin. "Sentient" derives from "sentiens," the present participle of "sentire," "to feel or perceive," and entered English in the 17th century. Combining "clair-" with "sentient" produces "feeling clearly," a sense of knowing through emotion rather than sight. It was likely coined in the 20th century, when writers on spiritualism and the paranormal were building a set of "clair-" terms, though I cannot confirm its first recorded use.

Synonyms: intuitive, perceptive