Perceive
/pərˈsiːv/noun
To become aware of something through the senses or the mind.
Did you know?Perceive comes from Latin percipere, originally meaning “to seize, gather, or take in completely,” so the word’s oldest sense is about mentally capturing reality.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kap-
“to grasp, seize”
Latin
Latin
capere
“to take, seize, capture”
Latin
Latin
percipere
“to seize completely; to comprehend fully”
Old French
Old French
perceivre
“to perceive, become aware of”
Middle English
English
perceiven
“to perceive, understand”
Modern English
English
perceive
“to become aware of through the senses or mind”