perceive
per·ceive
Perceive is defined as to see, hear or feel something or to have an understanding of something.
An example of perceive is what a woman might think about giving birth after hearing other women's birth stories.
perceive
transitive verb
intransitive verb
-·ceived′, -·ceiv′ing- to grasp mentally; take note (of); observe
- to become aware (of) through one of the senses, esp. through sight
Origin of perceive
Middle English perceyven from Old French perceivre from Classical Latin percipere, to take hold of, feel, comprehend from per, through + capere, to take: see haveperceive
transitive verb
per·ceived, per·ceiv·ing, per·ceives- a. To become aware of (something) directly through any of the senses, especially sight or hearing: We could perceive three figures in the fog.b. To cause or allow the mind to become aware of (a stimulus): The ear perceives sounds.
- To achieve understanding of; apprehend: Einstein perceived that energy and matter are equivalent. See Synonyms at see1.
- To regard or consider; deem: an old technology that is still perceived as useful; a politician who is perceived to be a dissembler.
Origin of perceive
Middle English perceiven from Old French perceivre from Latin percipere per- per- capere to seize ; see kap- in Indo-European roots.Related Forms:
- per·ceiv′a·ble
adjective
- per·ceiv′a·bly
adverb
- per·ceiv′er
noun
perceive
Verb
(third-person singular simple present perceives, present participle perceiving, simple past and past participle perceived)
- To see, to be aware of, to understand.
