Intuition
/ˌɪn.tjuˈɪʃ.ən/noun
The ability to understand or know something immediately, without conscious reasoning.
Did you know?Intuition comes from Latin *intuitio*, from *intueri* meaning “to look at, gaze upon,” so the word began as an act of inner vision before it became a mental power.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weid-
“to see, know”
Latin
Latin
intueri
“to look at closely, gaze upon”
Late Latin
Latin
intuitio
“a looking at, contemplation”
14th Century
English
intuicioun
“contemplation or a direct looking at something”
16th-17th Century
English
intuition
“immediate apprehension or insight without reasoning”
Modern English
English
intuition
“direct, instinctive understanding or insight”