Sense

How to spell sense

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce sense

What does sense mean?

1. nounA faculty of perception, a meaning conveyed, or the capacity for sound practical judgement.
2. verbTo perceive or become aware of something, often without direct evidence.

Sense in a sentence

• noun

  A sharp sense of smell helped her notice the gas leak.

• verb

  The new alarm can sense movement in the dark hallway.

• noun

  The technical manual makes no sense to a first-time reader.

• verb

  She could sense that her colleague was unhappy with the decision.

Where does sense come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb sentire, which meant 'to feel, to perceive, or to be aware of'. From that verb came the noun sensus, meaning a faculty of feeling or perception, and also the impression or meaning gathered through such feeling. English borrowed the word through Old French sens in the 1300s, at first carrying the idea of a bodily faculty such as sight or hearing, and soon broadening to cover the meaning of words and the capacity for sound judgement. The same Latin root sits inside a large family of relatives, including 'sentiment', 'consent', 'resent', and 'sensible', all of which share the notion of feeling or perceiving. The spelling trap is the ending: it is written with -se, not the -ce of its homophones 'cents' (money) and 'scents' (smells), even though all three sound identical.

How the word is built

• sens- (from Latin sentire: to feel, perceive)
• -e