Intelligent
/ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.dʒənt/noun
Having or showing the ability to understand, learn, and reason well.
Did you know?Intelligent ultimately traces back to Latin *intellegere*, literally “to pick out between,” a word built for discernment—almost like reading omens by separating signal from noise.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leg-
“to collect, gather, pick out”
Latin
Latin
legere
“to gather, choose, read”
Latin
Latin
inter- + legere
“to choose between, distinguish”
Late Latin
Latin
intelligere
“to understand, comprehend”
Old French
Old French
intelligent
“understanding, perceptive”
Middle English
English
intelligent
“having understanding or discernment”
Modern English
English
intelligent
“able to think, learn, and understand well”