sense

See also: Sense and sensé

English

Alternative forms

• sence (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English sense, from Old French sens, sen, san (“sense, perception, direction”); partly from Latin sēnsus (“sensation, feeling, meaning”), from sentiō (“feel, perceive”); partly of Germanic origin (whence also Occitan sen, Italian senno), from Vulgar Latin *sennus (“sense, reason, way”), from Frankish *sinn ("reason, judgement, mental faculty, way, direction"; whence also Dutch zin, German Sinn, Swedish sinne, Norwegian sinn). Both Latin and Germanic from Proto-Indo-European *sent- (“to feel”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: sĕns, IPA^(key): /sɛn(t)s/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• (pin–pen merger) IPA^(key): /sɪn(t)s/
• Rhymes: -ɛns
• Homophones: cents, scents; since (pin–pen merger)

Noun

sense (countable and uncountable, plural senses)

2. Any of the manners by which living beings perceive the physical world: for humans sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste.
   • c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:

     Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     What surmounts the reach / Of human sense I shall delineate.

4. Perception through the intellect; apprehension; awareness.

   a sense of security

   • a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC:

     this Basilius, having the quick sense of a lover

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     high disdain from sense of injured merit

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto XLIII, page 66:

     The days have vanish’d, tone and tint,
     ⁠And yet perhaps the hoarding sense
     ⁠Gives out at times (he knows not whence)
     A little flash, a mystic hint; […]

   • 1990 December 16, Laura Briggs, quoting Robert Weinerman, “Gay Students Fight 'Little War' At Mass. School”, in Gay Community News, volume 18, number 22, page 15:

     Where a college administration does not come forward and say that gay people have a right to be here, there is a sense among students that it is acceptable to harass and intimidate lesbian and gay members of that community.

6. Sound practical or moral judgment.

   It’s common sense not to put metal objects in a microwave oven.

   • 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC:

     some People so Harden'd in Wickedness, as to have No Sense at all of the most Friendly Offices, or the Highest Benefits.

8. The meaning, reason, or value of something.

   You don’t make any sense.

   2. Any particular meaning of a word, among its various meanings.

      Hyponyms: subsense, subsubsense

      word sense disambiguation

      the various senses of the word “car” (e.g., motor car, elevator car, railcar)

   4. (semantics) A single conventional use of a word; one of the entries or definitions for a word in a dictionary.
      • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Nehemiah 8:8:

        So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense.

      • c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

        I think ’twas in another sense.

10. A natural appreciation or ability.

    A keen musical sense

12. (pragmatics) The way that a referent is presented.
14. (mathematics) One of two opposite directions in which a vector (especially of motion) may point. See also polarity.
16. (mathematics) One of two opposite directions of rotation, clockwise versus anti-clockwise.
18. (biochemistry) referring to the strand of a nucleic acid that directly specifies the product.

Synonyms

• non-nonsense

Hyponyms

• business sense
• common sense
• fashion sense
• sense of humor / sense of humour
• sixth sense
• time sense
• transferred sense

 

• See also Thesaurus:sense

Derived terms

• abound in one's own sense
• abound in one's own sense
• aftersense
• air sense
• come to one's senses
• common sense
• court sense
• dress sense
• enough sense to pound sand into a rathole
• game sense
• good sense
• horse sense
• in a sense
• in every sense of the word
• in the Biblical sense
• in the biblical sense
• knock some sense into
• know someone in the Biblical sense
• know someone in the biblical sense
• make it make sense
• make sense
• moral sense
• more dollars than sense
• more money than sense
• my spider sense is tingling
• negative sense
• nonsense
• non-sense
• no sense no feeling
• positive sense
• present sense impression
• see sense
• sense amplifier
• sense body
• sense capsule
• sense datum
• sense of craft
• sense of direction
• sense of place
• sense organ
• sense strand
• snail-sense feminism
• spider sense
• spider-sense
• Spider sense
• Spider-sense
• Spidey sense
• Spidey-sense
• spidey sense
• spidey-sense
• strict-sense stationary
• talk sense
• where there's no sense there's no feeling

 

Related terms

• extrasensory
• sensation
• sensible
• sensitive
• sensor
• sensorium
• sensual
• sensuous

 

Descendants

• → Afrikaans: sense

Translations

manner by which living beings perceive the physical world

• Afrikaans: sintuig
• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Amharic: please add this translation if you can
• Arabic: حَاسَّة f (ḥāssa)

  Gulf Arabic: حاسة f (ḥāssa)

• Aragonese: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: զգացում (hy) (zgacʻum), զգացողություն (hy) (zgacʻoġutʻyun)
• Assamese: please add this translation if you can
• Asturian: sentíu m
• Aymara: please add this translation if you can
• Azerbaijani: please add this translation if you can
• Bashkir: хис (xis), тойғо (toyğo)
• Basque: zentzumen
• Belarusian: пачуццё (be) n (pačuccjó)
• Bengali: please add this translation if you can
• Breton: skiant (br) m
• Bulgarian: сетиво́ (bg) n (setivó), чу́вство (bg) n (čúvstvo)
• Burmese: အာရုံ (my) (arum)
• Catalan: seny (ca) m, sentit (ca) m
• Cherokee: please add this translation if you can
• Chichewa: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 感覺 / 感觉 (zh) (gǎnjué)

• Corsican: please add this translation if you can
• Czech: smysl (cs) m
• Danish: sans c
• Dhivehi: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: zintuig (nl) n
• Esperanto: senso (eo), sentumo (eo)
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: aisti (fi)
• French: sens (fr) m
• Galician: sentido (gl) m, senso (gl) m
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Sinn (de) m
• Greek: αίσθηση (el) f (aísthisi)

  Ancient: αἴσθησις f (aísthēsis)

• Hebrew: חוּשׁ (he) m (khúsh)
• Hungarian: érzék (hu), érzékelés (hu)
• Ido: senso (io)
• Indonesian: indra (id)
• Irish: céadfa f
• Italian: senso (it) m
• Japanese: 感覚 (ja) (かんかく, kankaku)
• Khmer: ឥន្ទ្រិយ (ʼəntrii), វិញ្ញាណ (km) (vɨññiən)
• Korean: 감각(感覺) (ko) (gamgak)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: hest (ku)

• Latgalian: nūjauta f
• Latvian: maņa f
• Lithuanian: nuojauta f, uoslė f
• Luganda: please add this translation if you can
• Luxembourgish: Sënn m
• Macedonian: сетило n (setilo), чувство n (čuvstvo)
• Malay: indera, deria
• Malayalam: please add this translation if you can
• Manx: ennaghtyn m, keeall f
• Maori: tairongo
• Marathi: please add this translation if you can
• Mirandese: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: sans (no) m
• Occitan: sentit m, sens (oc) m
• Odia: please add this translation if you can
• Old Czech: čuch m
• Old English: ġewitt n
• Pashto: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: حس (fa) (hess)
• Polish: zmysł (pl) m
• Portuguese: sentido (pt) m
• Punjabi: please add this translation if you can
• Romanian: simț (ro) n
• Romansch: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: чу́вство (ru) n (čúvstvo), ощуще́ние (ru) n (oščuščénije)
• Scots: please add this translation if you can
• Scottish Gaelic: ceudfath m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: о̀сјет m

  Roman: òsjet (sh) m

• Sicilian: sensu (scn) m, senzu (scn) m
• Sindhi: please add this translation if you can
• Sinhalese: please add this translation if you can
• Slovak: zmysel m
• Slovene: čutilo n, čut (sl) m
• Somali: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: sentido (es) m
• Swedish: sinne (sv) n
• Tocharian B: yälloñ
• Turkish: duyu (tr)
• Ukrainian: чуття́ n (čuttjá), відчуття́ (uk) n (vidčuttjá)
• Venetan: sènso m, senso m
• Volapük: sien (vo)
• Walloon: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: synnwyr (cy) m
• Xhosa: please add this translation if you can
• Yiddish: please add this translation if you can
• Yoruba: please add this translation if you can
• Zulu: please add this translation if you can

conscious awareness

• Arabic: إِحْسَاس (ar) m (ʔiḥsās), شُعُور m (šuʕūr)

  Gulf Arabic: احساس (iḥsās), شعور (šuʕūr)

• Belarusian: пачуццё (be) n (pačuccjó)
• Bulgarian: съзна́ние (bg) n (sǎznánie)
• Catalan: seny (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 感覺 / 感觉 (zh) (gǎnjué)

• Czech: pocit (cs) m
• Danish: fornemmelse (da)
• Dhivehi: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: gevoel (nl) n, gewaarwording (nl) f
• Finnish: tunne (fi)
• French: sens (fr) m
• Galician: senso (gl) m
• Georgian: გრძნობა (grʒnoba)
• German: Gefühl (de) n, Sinn (de) m
• Greek: αίσθηση (el) f (aísthisi), συναίσθημα (el) n (synaísthima)

  Ancient Greek: αἴσθησις f (aísthēsis)

• Hebrew: תחושה (he) f (tkhúsha)
• Hungarian: érzés (hu), érzet (hu)
• Ido: senso (io)
• Indonesian: budi (id), rasa (id)
• Irish: ciall f
• Italian: senso (it) m, coscienza (it) f, sensazione (it) f
• Japanese: 意識 (ja) (いしき, ishiki)
• Khmer: អារម្មណ៍ (km) (ʼaarɑm)
• Korean: 감각(感覺) (ko) (gamgak)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: hest (ku)

• Latgalian: pajauta f, jutūne f
• Latvian: sajūta
• Lithuanian: jutimas, jausmas
• Luxembourgish: Sënn m, Gefill (lb) n
• Macedonian: свест f (svest)
• Manx: keeall f
• Maori: parangēki (as in foreboding)
• Norwegian:

  Nynorsk: sinne

• Old English: ġewitt n
• Polish: poczucie (pl) n
• Portuguese: senso (pt) m
• Russian: чу́вство (ru) n (čúvstvo), ощуще́ние (ru) n (oščuščénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: ciall f, brìgh f, mothachadh m, faireachdainn m, cudthrom m
• Slovak: zmysel m
• Slovene: občutek (sl) m
• Spanish: sensación (es) f
• Swedish: sinne (sv) n
• Tagalog: dandam, damdam
• Telugu: స్పృహ (te) (spr̥ha)
• Turkish: algı (tr), idrak (tr)
• Ukrainian: відчуття́ (uk) n (vidčuttjá)
• Venetan: sènso m, senso m
• Welsh: pwyll (cy) m

sound judgement

• Asturian: sentíu m
• Catalan: seny (ca) m, seny comú m, trellat (ca) m, enteniment (ca) m
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: (gezond) verstand n
• Finnish: järki (fi), järkevyys (fi), tolkku (fi)
• French: sens (fr) m
• Galician: sentido (gl) m
• German: Sinn (de) m
• Greek: λογική (el) f (logikí)
• Hebrew: הגיון (he) m (higayón)
• Hungarian: értelem (hu)
• Irish: ciall f, réasún m
• Italian: senso (it) m
• Japanese: 感覚 (ja) (かんかく, kankaku), 意識 (ja) (いしき, ishiki), 分別 (ja) (ぶんべつ, funbetsu)
• Khmer: សុភនិច្ឆ័យ (sophĕəʼnɨcchay)
• Luxembourgish: Sënn m
• Manx: keeall f
• Norwegian:

  Nynorsk: fornuft

• Occitan: sens (oc) m
• Old English: ġewitt n
• Portuguese: sentido (pt) m
• Romanian: simț (ro) n
• Russian: здра́вый смысл (ru) m (zdrávyj smysl) (common sense), ра́зум (ru) m (rázum), рассу́док (ru) m (rassúdok)
• Spanish: sentido (es) m
• Swedish: förnuft (sv) n, förstånd (sv) n, sinne (sv) n
• Turkish: sağduyu (tr), aklıselimlik (tr)
• Venetan: sènso m, senso m
• Welsh: pwyll (cy) m, synnwyr (cy) m
• Yiddish: שׂכל m (seykhl)

meaning or reason

• Arabic: مَعْنًى (ar) m (maʕnan)

  Gulf Arabic: معنى (maʕna)

• Armenian: իմաստ (hy) (imast)
• Asturian: sentíu m
• Belarusian: значэ́нне n (značénnje), сэнс (be) m (sens), змысл m (zmysl)
• Bulgarian: значе́ние (bg) n (značénie), сми́съл (bg) m (smísǎl)
• Catalan: seny (ca) m, sentit (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 意義 / 意义 (zh) (yìyì)

• Czech: smysl (cs) m, význam (cs) m
• Dutch: zin (nl) m
• Finnish: järki (fi), merkitys (fi)
• French: sens (fr) m
• Galician: sentido (gl) m
• German: Verstand (de) m
• Greek: έννοια (el) f (énnoia)
• Hungarian: értelem (hu)
• Ido: senco (io)
• Irish: ciall f

  Old Irish: cíall f, síans m

• Italian: senso (it) m, significato (it) m
• Japanese: 意味 (ja) (いみ, imi)
• Khmer: ន័យ (km) (nɨy), សំនួន (km) (sɑmnuən)
• Korean: 뜻 (ko) (tteut), 의미(意味) (ko) (uimi)
• Latgalian: jāga f, zeimeiba f
• Latvian: jēga f
• Lithuanian: prasmė (lt) f
• Luxembourgish: Bedeitung f
• Macedonian: смисла f (smisla)
• Malay: makna (ms), maksud (ms), erti​
• Manx: keeall f
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: утга (mn) (utga)

  Mongolian: ᠤᠳᠬ
  ᠠ (udk a)

• Norwegian:

  Nynorsk: meining

• Old English: andġiet n
• Persian: چم (fa) (čem)
• Polish: sens (pl) m
• Portuguese: sentido (pt) m
• Romanian: sens (ro) n
• Romansch: senn m (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Surmiran), sen m (Sutsilvan, Puter, Vallader)
• Russian: смысл (ru) m (smysl), значе́ние (ru) n (značénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: seagh m, brìgh f, ciallachadh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: сми̑сао m

  Roman: smȋsao (sh) m

• Slovak: zmysel m, význam m
• Slovene: smisel (sl) m
• Spanish: sentido (es) m
• Swedish: mening (sv) c, bemärkelse (sv) c
• Turkish: mana (tr), anlam (tr)
• Ukrainian: сенс (uk) (sens), зна́чення (uk) n (znáčennja), смисл m (smysl)
• Venetan: sènso m, senso m
• Vietnamese: nghĩa (vi), ý nghĩa (vi)
• Welsh: ystyr (cy) f

natural ability

• Arabic: مَوْهِبَة f (mawhiba), قُدْرَة طَبِيعِيَّة f (qudra ṭabīʕiyya)

  Gulf Arabic: موهبة f (mawhiba), قدرة طبيعية f (qudra ṭabīʕiyya)

• Bulgarian: у́сет (bg) m (úset)
• Catalan: seny (ca) m, sentit (ca) m
• Finnish: kyky (fi), lahja (fi), lahjakkuus (fi), vaisto (fi)
• Galician: senso (gl) m
• German: Sinn (de)
• Greek: αίσθηση (el) f (aísthisi)
• Hebrew: חוּשׁ (he) m (khúsh)
• Hungarian: érzék (hu)
• Indonesian: bakat (id)
• Irish: ciall f
• Italian: tocco (it) m
• Japanese: 才能 (ja) (さいのう, sainou), 能力 (ja) (のうりょく, nouryoku)
• Luxembourgish: Gespier n
• Macedonian: усет m (uset)
• Manx: keeall f
• Polish: zmysł (pl)
• Portuguese: sentido (pt) m, senso (pt) m
• Romanian: simț (ro) n
• Russian: чу́вство (ru) n (čúvstvo)
• Spanish: sentido (es) m
• Swedish: sinne (sv) n
• Turkish: yeti (tr), yetenek (tr)
• Ukrainian: почуття́ (uk) n (počuttjá)

pragmatics term

• Polish: sens (pl)
• Russian: смысл (ru) m (smysl)

semantics term

• Arabic: مَعْنَى (ar) m (maʕnā), دَلَالَة (ar) f (dalāla)
• Armenian: իմաստ (hy) (imast)
• Asturian: significáu (ast) m, aceición f, acepción f
• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Catalan: seny (ca) m, significat (ca) m, accepció (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 意義 / 意义 (zh) (yìyì)

• Czech: smysl (cs) m, význam (cs) m
• Dutch: betekenis (nl) f
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: merkitys (fi)
• French: sens (fr) m, acception (fr) f
• Galician: significado (gl) m, significación (gl) f, acepción (gl) f, senso (gl) m, sentido (gl) m
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Sinn (de) m, Bedeutung (de) f
• Hebrew: מובן m (muván)
• Hungarian: értelem (hu)
• Indonesian: makna (id), arti (id)
• Irish: ciall f
• Italian: significato (it) m, accezione (it) f
• Japanese: 意味 (ja) (imi)
• Khmer: អត្ថ (km) (ʼat)
• Korean: 감각 (ko) (gamgak)
• Malay: maksud (ms), erti​
• Manx: keeall f
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian:

  Nynorsk: tyding, betyding

• Old English: andġiet n
• Portuguese: sentido (pt) m, significação (pt) f, acepção (pt) f, significado (pt) m, aceção (pt) f
• Romanian: sens (ro) n
• Russian: значе́ние (ru) n (značénije), смысл (ru) m (smysl)
• Slovene: pomen (sl) m
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: wóznam m

  Upper Sorbian: woznam m

• Spanish: significado (es) m, acepción (es) f, sentido (es) m, significación (es) f
• Swedish: betydelse (sv) c
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: anlam (tr), deme (tr), valör (tr)
• Ukrainian: зна́чення (uk) (znáčennja), сенс (uk) (sens)
• Vietnamese: ý nghĩa (vi)
• Welsh: ystyr (cy) f

math: direction of a vector

• Finnish: suunta (fi)
• Ido: sinso (io)
• Italian: verso (it) m
• Polish: kierunek (pl) m
• Romanian: sens (ro) n
• Russian: направле́ние (ru) n (napravlénije)
• Spanish: sentido (es) m

math: direction of rotation

• Finnish: pyörimissuunta
• Ido: sinso (io)
• Polish: kierunek obrotu m
• Romanian: sens (ro) n
• Russian: направле́ние (ru) n (napravlénije)
• Spanish: sentido (es) m

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

• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 官能 (zh) (guānnèng), ^{(please verify)} 感官 (zh) (gǎnguāng), ^{(please verify)} 识别力 (zh) (shíbié lì)

See also

• audition
• equilibrioception
• gustation
• hearing
• nociception
• olfaction
• proprioception
• sight
• smell
• tactition
• taste
• thermoception
• touch
• vision

Verb

sense (third-person singular simple present senses, present participle sensing, simple past and past participle sensed)

1. To use biological senses: to either see, hear, smell, taste, or feel.
2. To instinctively be aware.

   She immediately sensed her disdain.

3. To comprehend.

Translations

use biological senses

• Arabic: حَسَّ (ḥassa)
• Asturian: sentir (ast)
• Bulgarian: усещам (bg) (useštam), възприемам (bg) (vǎzpriemam)
• Catalan: sentir (ca)
• Dutch: gewaarworden (nl), waarnemen (nl)
• Finnish: aistia (fi)
• French: sentir (fr)
• Galician: sentir (gl), percibir (gl)
• German: wahrnehmen (de), empfinden (de), spüren (de)
• Greek: αισθάνομαι (el) (aisthánomai)

  Ancient: αἰσθάνομαι (aisthánomai)

• Hebrew: חש (he) (khash)
• Hungarian: érzékel (hu)
• Irish: airigh

  Old Irish: airigidir, ceta·bí

• Italian: percepire (it)
• Japanese: 感じる (ja) (kanjiru)
• Kabuverdianu: xinti, sintí
• Latin: sentiō (la)
• Luxembourgish: spieren
• Maori: rongo
• Old Church Slavonic: чоути (čuti)
• Portuguese: sentir (pt)
• Romanian: simți (ro)
• Russian: чу́вствовать (ru) impf (čúvstvovatʹ), почу́вствовать (ru) pf (počúvstvovatʹ); ощуща́ть (ru) impf (oščuščátʹ), ощути́ть (ru) pf (oščutítʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: fairich
• Spanish: sentir (es), sensar
• Swedish: märka (sv), förnimma (sv)
• Turkish: algılamak (tr), duyumsamak (tr)

to instinctively be aware

• Azerbaijani: sezmək
• Bulgarian: чувствам (bg) (čuvstvam)
• Catalan: sentir (ca)
• Dutch: zich bewust zijn, voelen (nl)
• Finnish: vaistota (fi)
• French: sentir (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: spüren (de)
• Greek: αισθάνομαι (el) (aisthánomai), συναισθάνομαι (el) (synaisthánomai)
• Japanese: 感じる (ja) (kanjiru), 察する (ja) (sassuru), 気づく (ja) (kizuku)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ane (no)

• Polish: przeczuwać (pl) impf
• Portuguese: sentir (pt)
• Romanian: simți (ro)
• Romansch: s'accorscher (da) (Rumantsch Grischun, Surmiran), encorscher (Sursilvan), ancorscher (Sutsilvan), s'inaccordscher (Puter, Vallader)
• Russian: чу́вствовать (ru) impf (čúvstvovatʹ), почу́вствовать (ru) pf (počúvstvovatʹ); ощуща́ть (ru) impf (oščuščátʹ), ощути́ть (ru) pf (oščutítʹ)
• Spanish: sentir (es), percibir (es), sensar, tactar (Guatemala)
• Swedish: märka (sv), uppfatta (sv), ana (sv)
• Yiddish: שפּירן (shpirn)

to comprehend

• Bulgarian: разбирам (bg) (razbiram)
• Dutch: begrijpen (nl), bevatten (nl)
• Japanese: 感じる (ja) (kanjiru), 察する (ja) (sassuru), 気づく (ja) (kizuku)
• Khmer: យល់ (km) (yʊəl)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} dar sentido

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

• Latin: ^{(please verify)} sentire

Anagrams

• Essen, NESes, SE SNe, enses, esnes, seens, senes, snees

Afrikaans

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English sense.

Noun

sense (uncountable)

1. sense, good sense

Etymology 2

Noun

sense

1. plural of sens

Catalan

Alternative forms

• sens

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin sine, possibly conflated with absentia, or more likely from sens, itself from Old Catalan sen (with an adverbial -s-), from Latin sine. Compare French sans, Occitan sens, Italian senza.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈsen.sə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈsən.sə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈsen.se]

• Audio:

  (file)

Preposition

sense

1. without

   Antonym: amb

Derived terms

• sensefeina
• sensesostre

Further reading

• “sense” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “sense”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “sense” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “sense” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Chuukese

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 先生 (sensei).

Noun

sense

1. teacher

Dutch

Noun

sense

1. Only used in sense maken

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈsen.se/, [ˈs̠ẽːs̠ɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈsen.se/, [ˈsɛnse]

Participle

sēnse

1. vocative masculine singular of sēnsus

Middle English

Alternative forms

• sens, sence

Etymology

From Old French sens, from Latin sensus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛns/

Noun

sense (plural senses)

1. meaning, signification; interpretation

Descendants

• English: sense
• Yola: zense

References

• “sens(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Occitan

Alternative forms

• sens
• shens (Gascony)

Etymology

From a variant of Latin sine (“without”), influenced by absēns (“absent, remote”).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Preposition

sense

1. without

References

• Diccionari General de la Lenga Occitana, L’Academia occitana – Consistòri del Gai Saber, 2008-2024, page 556.

Spanish

Verb

sense

1. inflection of sensar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative