Perceive

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /pəˈsiːv/

Definitions

1. To become aware of or recognize something through the senses or mind, or to understand or interpret something in a particular manner
2. To grasp or detect something through sensory input or mental awareness, and to interpret or understand information in a specific way
3. To sense or recognize an object or idea using the senses or intellect, as well as to form a particular understanding or viewpoint about it

Etymology: The verb "perceive" is a case of a word that started out with a physical sense and gradually moved into the mind. Its Latin ancestor, "percipere", was built from "per", meaning "through" or "by", and "capere", meaning "to take". The original image is of grasping something thoroughly, taking hold of it so it is fully yours, and the same root gives us "capture" and "capable" in English. The word reached English through Middle English "perceyven", borrowed from Old French "percevoir" and "perceveir". Its early senses kept the sense of acquiring or receiving something, and only later did the idea of taking in information through the senses, and then of grasping a truth by reasoning, become dominant. English "perceive" thus moved from the act of taking hold to the act of understanding. Its relatives in English show the same family pattern. "Conceive", "deceive" and "receive" all share the "-ceive" ending and the same Latin verb "capere" behind them, each taking a different prefix and so a different direction of meaning.

Synonyms: discern, detect, recognize, observe, sense

Antonyms: ignore, overlook, miss