percipio

Latin

Etymology

From per- (“through”) +‎ capiō (“capture, seize; understand”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /perˈki.pi.oː/, [pɛrˈkɪpioː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /perˈt͡ʃi.pi.o/, [perˈt͡ʃiːpio]

Verb

percipiō (present infinitive percipere, perfect active percēpī, supine perceptum); third conjugation iō-variant

1. to seize or take on (entirely); assume; earn; occupy, keep (i.e. maintain control)
   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico VII.27:

     Cohortatus ut aliquando pro tantis laboribus fructum victoriae perciperent

     Exhorts them to finally seize the fruit of victory in exchange for their exertions

2. to perceive, observe, notice

   Synonym: observō

3. to feel, perceive

   Synonyms: sapiō, sentiō, cernō, cōnspicor

4. to learn, know, conceive, comprehend, understand

   Synonyms: agnōscō, cognōscō, inveniō, sentiō, comperiō, cōnsciō, sapiō, sciō, nōscō, scīscō, intellegō, discernō, tongeō, cernō, audiō

   Antonyms: ignōrō, nesciō

   • 8 CE, Ovid, Fasti 4.938:

     ‘causam percipe’ flāmen ait.

     ‘‘Understand the reason,’’ the flamen said.
     (Spoken by the Flamen Quirinalis; see also flamen.)

Conjugation

Note there is an old form percēpset for percēpisset.

Conjugation of percipiō (third conjugation iō-variant)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	percipiō	percipis	percipit	percipimus	percipitis	percipiunt
	imperfect	percipiēbam	percipiēbās	percipiēbat	percipiēbāmus	percipiēbātis	percipiēbant
	future	percipiam	percipiēs	percipiet	percipiēmus	percipiētis	percipient
	perfect	percēpī	percēpistī	percēpit	percēpimus	percēpistis	percēpērunt, percēpēre
	pluperfect	percēperam	percēperās	percēperat	percēperāmus	percēperātis	percēperant
	future perfect	percēperō	percēperis	percēperit	percēperimus	percēperitis	percēperint
passive	present	percipior	perciperis, percipere	percipitur	percipimur	percipiminī	percipiuntur
	imperfect	percipiēbar	percipiēbāris, percipiēbāre	percipiēbātur	percipiēbāmur	percipiēbāminī	percipiēbantur
	future	percipiar	percipiēris, percipiēre	percipiētur	percipiēmur	percipiēminī	percipientur
	perfect	perceptus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	perceptus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	perceptus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	percipiam	percipiās	percipiat	percipiāmus	percipiātis	percipiant
	imperfect	perciperem	perciperēs	perciperet	perciperēmus	perciperētis	perciperent
	perfect	percēperim	percēperīs	percēperit	percēperīmus	percēperītis	percēperint
	pluperfect	percēpissem	percēpissēs	percēpisset	percēpissēmus	percēpissētis	percēpissent
passive	present	percipiar	percipiāris, percipiāre	percipiātur	percipiāmur	percipiāminī	percipiantur
	imperfect	perciperer	perciperēris, perciperēre	perciperētur	perciperēmur	perciperēminī	perciperentur
	perfect	perceptus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	perceptus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	percipe	—	—	percipite	—
	future	—	percipitō	percipitō	—	percipitōte	percipiuntō
passive	present	—	percipere	—	—	percipiminī	—
	future	—	percipitor	percipitor	—	—	percipiuntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		percipere	percēpisse	perceptūrum esse	percipī	perceptum esse	perceptum īrī
participles		percipiēns	—	perceptūrus	—	perceptus	percipiendus, percipiundus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		percipiendī	percipiendō	percipiendum	percipiendō	perceptum	perceptū

Derived terms

• imperceptus
• perceptībilis
• perceptiō
• perceptor
• perceptus
• percipibilis

Related terms

Related terms

• accipiō
• capiō
• captō
• concipiō
• dēcipiō
• excipiō
• incipiō
• intercipiō
• praecipiō
• recipiō
• suscipiō

Descendants

• Catalan: percebre
• Franco-Provençal: percêvre, percevêr
• Italian: percevere (obsolete)
• → Italian: percepire (semi-learned)
• Occitan: percebre
• Old French: percevoir
  • French: percevoir
  • → English: perceive
• Old Galician-Portuguese: perceber
  • Galician: percibir
  • Portuguese: perceber
• Romanian: pricepe, pricepere; → percepe
• Sicilian: pircipiri
• Spanish: percibir

References

• “percipio”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “percipio”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• percipio in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to be perceptible to the senses: sensibus percipi
    
  • to derive (great) profit , advantage from a thing: fructum (uberrimum) capere, percipere, consequi ex aliqua re
    
  • to derive pleasure from a thing: voluptatem ex aliqua re capere or percipere
    
  • to have a thorough grasp of a subject: penitus percipere et comprehendere aliquid (De Or. 1. 23. 108)
    
  • to take pleasure in a thing: laetitiam capere or percipere ex aliqua re
    
  • to be vexed about a thing: dolorem capere (percipere) ex aliqua re
    
  • to feel sorrow about a thing: luctum percipere ex aliqua re
    
  • to reap: fructus demetere or percipere
    
• percipio in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016