perspicacious

English

WOTD – 7 January 2008

Etymology

First attested 1548, from Late Latin perspicācitās (“discernment”), from Latin perspicax (“sharp-sighted”), from perspiciō (“look through”), from per- (“through”) + speciō (“look at”). See also perspective.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌpɜː.spɪˈkeɪ.ʃəs/
(US) enPR: pûr'spĭ·kā'shəs, IPA^(key): /ˌpɜːɹ.spɪˈkeɪ.ʃəs/
Audio (US): (file)
Rhymes: -eɪʃəs
Hyphenation: per‧spi‧ca‧cious

Adjective

perspicacious (comparative more perspicacious, superlative most perspicacious)

(figuratively) Of acute discernment; having keen insight; mentally perceptive.
- 1982 April 17, David K. Jose, “Habeas Corpus”, in Gay Community News, page 3:
  As a gay prisoner my incarceration has given me a perspicacious view of our judicial system.
(obsolete) Able to physically see clearly; quick-sighted; sharp-sighted.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

showing keen insight

Arabic: مُتَبَصِّر (mutabaṣṣir)
Belarusian: прані́клівы (praníklivy)
Bulgarian: проницателен (bg) (pronicatelen), прозорлив (bg) (prozorliv)
Catalan: perspicaç
Chinese:
Mandarin: 明察秋毫 (zh) (míngchá qiūháo)
Czech: bystrý (cs)
Danish: klarsynet
Dutch: scherpzinnig (nl), spitsvondig (nl), schrander (nl)
Esperanto: akrasenta, akravida
Estonian: tähelepanelik
Finnish: tarkkanäköinen (fi)
French: perspicace (fr)
German: scharfsinnig (de)
Greek: οξυδερκής (el) (oxyderkís)
Hindi: सूक्ष्मदर्शी (hi) (sūkṣmadarśī)
Hungarian: tisztánlátó (hu)
Italian: perspicace (it)
Japanese: (acute discernment) 明察 (ja) (めいさつ, meisatsu), (having keen insight) 明敏 (ja) (めいびん, meibin), 明達 (めいたつ, meitatsu)
Korean: 명민한 (myeongminhan), 총기 있는 (chonggi inneun)
Latin: perspicax
Lithuanian: įžvalgus
Macedonian: про́никлив (prónikliv), остро́умен (ostróumen)
Norwegian: skarpsindig
Norwegian Nynorsk: skarpsindig
Polish: wnikliwy (pl) m, przenikliwy (pl)
Portuguese: perspicaz (pt)
Romanian: perspicace (ro)
Russian: проница́тельный (ru) (pronicátelʹnyj)
Slovak: bystrý
Slovene: pronicljiv
Spanish: perspicaz (es)
Swedish: klarsynt (sv)
Turkish: zeki (tr)
Ukrainian: прони́кливий (pronýklyvyj)
Urdu: چتر

able to physically see clearly

Bulgarian: зорък (bg) (zorǎk)
Dutch: scherpziend
Esperanto: akravida
French: clairvoyant (fr)
Greek: οξυδερκής (el) (oxyderkís)
Japanese: 明視 (ja) (めいし, meishi)
Latin: perspicax
Macedonian: о́строок (óstrook)
Norwegian: klarsynt
Norwegian Nynorsk: klarsynt, klårsynt
Polish: bystry (pl)
Russian: зо́ркий (ru) (zórkij)
Spanish: clarividente (es)
Swedish: klarsynt (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

French: ^{(please verify)} perspicace (fr), ^{(please verify)} voyant clair
German: ^{(please verify)} scharfsehend
Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 穎悟 / 颖悟 (zh) (yǐngwù), ^{(please verify)} 颖悟 (zh) (yingwu)