intellect

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.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪntəlɛkt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

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.

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

• mind

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

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

• Audio

  (file)

intellect m (plural intellects)

1. (psychology, philosophy) intellect

• intellectuel

• affect

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