intellect

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪntəlɛkt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

intellect (countable and uncountable, plural intellects)

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

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:intelligence

   Intellect is one of man's greatest powers.

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

   They were chosen because of their outstanding intellect.

   • 1983, “Intelligence”, in Shiver, performed by Virna Lindt:

     Arms of stripes and shirts of checks / You had a very nice intellect

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

   Synonym: intellectual

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

Related terms

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

Translations

The faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding

• Armenian: բանականություն (hy) (banakanutʿyun), խելք (hy) (xelkʿ)
• Avar: гӏакълу (ʻaqxʼlu)
• Bashkir: аҡыл (aqıl)
• Belarusian: інтэле́кт m (inteljékt)
• Bulgarian: интелект (bg) m (intelekt)
• Catalan: intel·lecte (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 思力 (sī lihk)

  Mandarin: 思力 (zh) (sīlì)

• Chuvash: ӑс (ăs)
• Finnish: äly (fi)
• Galician: intelecto m
• German: Intellekt (de) m
• Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌸𐌹 f (fraþi)
• Hindi: बुद्धि (hi) f (buddhi)
• Hungarian: ész (hu)
• Italian: intelletto (it) m
• Japanese: 知性 (ja) (ちせい, chisei)、思考力 (しこうりょく, shikōryoku)
• Korean: 지혜 (ko) (jihye)
• Kyrgyz: эс (ky) (es)
• Latin: intellectus m
• Lezgi: акьул (aq̇ul)
• Maori: ihomatua, hirikapo
• Mongolian: оюун ухаан (ojuun uxaan), оюун (mn) (ojuun)
• Navajo: bíniʼ
• Ossetian: зонд (zond)
• Polish: intelekt (pl) m
• Portuguese: intelecto (pt) m
• Romanian: intelect (ro) m
• Russian: интелле́кт (ru) m (intellékt), ра́зум (ru) m (rázum), ум (ru) m (um)
• Sanskrit: मनस् (sa) n (manas)
• Spanish: intelecto (es) m
• Tabasaran: аькьюл (a̱q̇jul)
• Tausug: akkal
• Turkish: entelekt (tr)
• Ukrainian: інтеле́кт m (intelékt)
• Welsh: dealltwriaeth f

That faculty in a particular person

• Armenian: խելք (hy) (xelkʿ)
• Bulgarian: ум (bg) m (um), разсъдък (bg) m (razsǎdǎk)
• Latin: intellectus m
• Navajo: bíniʼ
• Portuguese: intelecto (pt) m
• Romanian: intelect (ro) m

A person who has that faculty in great degree

• Bulgarian: интелектуалец m (intelektualec)
• Finnish: älykkö (fi), ajattelija (fi)
• Maori: ihumanea
• Portuguese: intelectual (pt) m or f
• Romanian: intelectual (ro) m, intelectuală (ro) f
• Russian: интеллектуа́л (ru) m (intellektuál)

See also

• mind

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin intellēctus (“understanding, intellect”), perfect passive participle of Latin intellegō (“understand; reason”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.tɛ.lɛkt/, /ɛ̃.te.lɛkt/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

intellect m (plural intellects)

1. (psychology, philosophy) intellect

Related terms

• intellectuel

See also

• affect

Further reading

• “intellect”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.