From Middle Englishsense, from Old Frenchsens, sen, san(“sense, perception, direction”); partly from Latinsēnsus(“sensation, feeling, meaning”), from sentiō(“feel, perceive”); partly of Germanic origin (whence also Occitansen, Italiansenno), from Vulgar Latin*sennus(“sense, reason, way”), from Frankish*sinn("reason, judgement, mental faculty, way, direction"; whence also Dutchzin, GermanSinn, Swedishsinne, Norwegiansinn). Both Latin and Germanic from Proto-Indo-European*sent-(“to feel”).
Pronunciation
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enPR: sĕns, IPA(key): /sɛns/, /sɛnts/
Audio (General American):
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Audio (UK):
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(pin–pen merger) IPA(key): /sɪns/, /sɪnts/
Rhymes: -ɛns
Homophones: cents, scents; since(pin–pen merger)
Noun
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sense (countable and uncountable, plural senses)
English Wikipedia has articles on:sense and Word senseWikipedia Wikipedia
Any of the manners by which living beings perceive the physical world: for humans sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste.
c.1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep.
1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost.[…], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker[…]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter[…]; [a]nd Matthias Walker,[…], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books:[…], London: Basil Montagu Pickering[…], 1873, →OCLC:What surmounts the reach / Of human sense I shall delineate.
Perception through the intellect; apprehension; awareness. a sense of security
a.1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC:this Basilius, having the quick sense of a lover
1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost.[…], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker[…]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter[…]; [a]nd Matthias Walker,[…], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books:[…], London: Basil Montagu Pickering[…], 1873, →OCLC:high disdain from sense of injured merit
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XLIII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon,[…], →OCLC, page 66:The days have vanish’d, tone and tint,And yet perhaps the hoarding senseGives out at times (he knows not whence)A little flash, a mystic hint; […]
1990 December 16, Laura Briggs, quoting Robert Weinerman, “Gay Students Fight 'Little War' At Mass. School”, in Gay Community News, volume 18, number 22, page 15:Where a college administration does not come forward and say that gay people have a right to be here, there is a sense among students that it is acceptable to harass and intimidate lesbian and gay members of that community.
Sound practical or moral judgment. It’s common sense not to put metal objects in a microwave oven.
1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.)(please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists:[…], London: […] R[ichard] Sare,[…], →OCLC:some People so Harden'd in Wickedness, as to have No Sense at all of the most Friendly Offices, or the Highest Benefits.
The meaning, reason, or value of something. You don’t make any sense.
c.1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:I think ’twas in another sense.
A meaning of a term (word or expression), among its various meanings. Hyponyms:subsense, subsubsensethe various senses of the word “car” (e.g., motor car, elevator car, railcar)
(semantics, lexicography) A single conventional use of a word; one of the entries or definitions for a word in a dictionary.
A natural appreciation or ability. A keen musical sense
(pragmatics) The way that a referent is presented.
(mathematics) One of two opposite directions in which a vector (especially of motion) may point. See also polarity.
(mathematics) One of two opposite directions of rotation, clockwise versus anti-clockwise.
(biochemistry) referring to the strand of a nucleic acid that directly specifies the product.
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
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
References
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“sense”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
sense (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
sense on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
word sense on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Anagrams
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Essen, NESes, SE SNe, enses, esnes, seens, senes, snees
Afrikaans
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Etymology 1
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Borrowed from Englishsense.
Noun
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sense (uncountable)
sense, good sense
Etymology 2
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Noun
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sense
plural of sens
Catalan
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Alternative forms
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sens
Etymology
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Ultimately from Latinsine, possibly conflated with absentia, or more likely from sens, itself from Old Catalansen (with an adverbial -s-), from Latin sine. Compare Frenchsans, Occitansens, Italiansenza.
Pronunciation
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IPA(key): (Central)[ˈsen.sə]
IPA(key): (Balearic)[ˈsən.sə]
IPA(key): (Valencia)[ˈsen.se]
Audio (Catalonia):
(file)
Preposition
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sense
without Antonym:amb
Derived terms
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sensefeina
sensesostre
Further reading
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“sense”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
“sense”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
“sense” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
“sense” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
sense (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia 