Sapere

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have knowledge or understanding of something; to be aware or conscious; to possess wisdom or insight
2. To comprehend or grasp information or concepts; to be informed or enlightened; to exhibit discernment or judgment
3. To be skilled or proficient in a subject; to recognize or appreciate facts; to demonstrate intellectual awareness

Etymology: "Sapere" is a Latin verb meaning "to taste," and its figurative senses of "to have good judgment" and "to be wise" grew out of that original physical sense. The root is Proto-Indo-European "*sap-," which gave Latin "sapere" the basic idea of tasting or having a flavour. Early Latin speakers likely extended this to discernment: a person with good taste could tell good food from bad, and that skill was quickly transferred to telling good judgment from foolishness. The adjective "sapiens," meaning "wise" or "discerning," comes from the same root, and its English descendant "sapient" is still used for wisdom. The Latin verb itself is the source of Italian "sapere," Spanish "saber," and French "savoir," all meaning "to know." In these languages the sense of knowing has largely replaced the sense of tasting, so the word that once described a palate now describes intellectual knowledge. English took the Latin root through other words such as "sapid" (having flavour) and "savour," showing that the taste sense survives in English too, even though the everyday meaning has moved on.

Synonyms: to know, to taste, to be wise