Sensory

How to spell sensory

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce sensory

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does sensory mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to the physical senses or to the perception of sensation.

Sensory in a sentence

• The museum designed a sensory room for visitors with autism.

• Bright lights and loud noise can cause sensory overload in a busy office.

Where does sensory come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb sentire, which meant 'to feel, perceive, or be aware of'. From that verb came the noun sensus, meaning 'a feeling, perception, or the faculty of sense', and from there the medieval Latin sensorius, describing anything concerned with sensation. English adopted sensory in the seventeenth century, largely through scientific and anatomical writing, to describe the nerves and organs that carry the impressions of touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing to the brain. The same sentire root quietly underlies a whole family of familiar English words, including sense, sensation, sentiment, consent, and resent, all of which carry the idea of feeling or perceiving. The spelling keeps the soft s of sense rather than a c, and the ending is -ory (relating to), not the -ary that catches many writers out.

How the word is built

• sens- (from Latin sentire: to feel, perceive)
• -ory (adjective suffix: relating to)