Notion

How to spell notion

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce notion

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does notion mean?

1. nounAn idea, belief, or impression held in the mind, often a vague or fanciful one.

Notion in a sentence

• She had no notion that the meeting had been cancelled.

• The notion that hard work always pays off is comforting but not always true.

Where does notion come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin notio, which meant 'a becoming acquainted', 'an examination', or 'a concept'. That noun was built on noscere, the Latin verb meaning 'to know' or 'to come to know', and so a notio was literally a piece of knowledge taking shape in the mind. English borrowed the word in the late 1500s, at first in scholarly and philosophical writing, to mean an idea or mental conception. Over time it softened in everyday use to mean a vague or fanciful idea, as in 'a sudden notion'. The same noscere root sits behind a whole family of English words, including 'notice', 'notable', and 'cognition', all of which circle around the act of knowing.

How the word is built

• not- (from Latin notio: a becoming acquainted, a concept, ultimately from noscere 'to know')
• -ion (noun suffix)