perceive
UK /pəˈsiːv/ · US /pɚˈsiv/ verb
Forms perceives perceiving perceived perceave
- verb (transitive) To become aware of, through the physical senses, to see; to understand.
- verb To interpret something in a particular way. “John was perceived to be a coward by his comrades”
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English perceyven, borrowed from Old French percevoir, perceveir, from Latin percipiō, past participle perceptus (“take hold of, obtain, receive, observe”), from per (“by, through”) + capiō (“to take”); see capable. Compare conceive, deceive, receive.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To obtain knowledge of through the senses; to receive impressions from by means of the bodily organs; to take cognizance of the existence, character, or identity of, by means of the senses; to see, hear, or feel; as, to perceive a distant ship; to perceive a discord.
- verb To take intellectual cognizance of; to apprehend by the mind; to be convinced of by direct intuition; to note; to remark; to discern; to see; to understand.
Etymology [OF. percevoir, perceveir, L. percipere, perceptum; per (see Per-) + capere to take, receive. See Capacious, and cf. Perception.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “perceive”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details