intellect

English

Etymology

From Latin intellēctus (“understanding, intellect”), perfect passive participle of intellegō (“understand; reason”), from inter (“between, among”) + legō (“read”), with connotation of bind.

Pronunciation

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Noun

intellect (countable and uncountable; plural intellects)

1. the faculty of thinking, judging, abstract reasoning, and conceptual understanding; the cognitive faculty (uncountable)

   Intellect is one of man's greatest powers.

2. the capacity of that faculty (in a particular person) (uncountable)

   They were chosen because of their outstanding intellect.

3. a person who has that faculty to a great degree

   Some of the world's leading intellects were meeting there.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:intelligence

Related terms

• intellectual
• intellectualism
• intellectualize
• intelligence
• intelligent
• intelligentsia
• intelligible

Translations

The faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding

• Armenian: բանականություն (hy) (banakanut’yun), խելք (hy) (xelk’)
• Bashkir: аҡыл (aqïl)
• Finnish: järki (fi), äly (fi)
• German: Intellekt (de) m

• Portuguese: intelecto (pt) m
• Romanian: intelect (ro) m
• Spanish: intelecto (es) m

That faculty in a particular person

• Armenian: խելք (hy) (xelk’)

• Portuguese: intelecto (pt) m
• Romanian: intelect (ro) m

A person who has that faculty in great degree

• Finnish: älykkö (fi), ajattelija (fi)

• Portuguese: intelectual (pt) m and f
• Romanian: intelectual (ro) m, intelectuală (ro) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Japanese: 知性（ちせい, chisei）、思考力（しこうりょく, shikou ryoku）

See also

• mind