sapient

sapient
\ \ [15] Like English taste, Latin sapere combined the notions of ‘appreciating flavour’ and ‘fine discrimination’, and hence meant both ‘taste’ and ‘be wise’. In the former sense it has given English savour and savoury, while the latter has fed through into English in its present participial form as sapient. It is also the source of Spanish saberknow’, which via a West African pidgin has given English the slang term savvyunderstand’ [18], and French savoirknow’, as in English savoir-faire [19].
\ \ Cf.SAVOUR, SAVOURY

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Sapient — Corporation[1] Rechtsform Börsennotierte Kapitalgesellschaft (Mutterge …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • sapient — SAPIÉNT, Ă, sapienţi, te, adj., s.m. şi f. (livr.) (Om) plin de înţelepciune; (om) doct, învăţat, savant. [pr.: pi ent] – Din lat. sapiens, ntis. Trimis de IoanSoleriu, 13.09.2007. Sursa: DEX 98  SAPIÉNT adj. v …   Dicționar Român

  • Sapient — Sa pi*ent, a. [L. sapiens, entis, p. pr. of sapere to taste, to have sense, to know. See {Sage}, a.] Wise; sage; discerning; often in irony or contempt. [1913 Webster] Where the sapient king Held dalliance with his fair Egyptian spouse. Milton.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Sapient — may refer to: * Sapience the ability of an organism or entity to act with judgment * Sapient (company), a NASDAQ traded company …   Wikipedia

  • sapient — wise, late 15c., from O.Fr. sapient, from L. sapientem (nom. sapiens), prp. of sapere to taste, have taste, be wise, from PIE root *sep to taste, perceive (Cf. O.S. an sebban to perceive, remark, O.H.G. antseffen, O.E. sefa mind, understanding,… …   Etymology dictionary

  • sapient — [sā′pē ənt] adj. [ME < L sapiens, prp. of sapere, to taste, know: see SAP1] 1. full of knowledge; wise; sagacious; discerning 2. of or relating to the existing human species (Homo sapiens) n. a sapient human sapience n. sapiently adv …   English World dictionary

  • sapient — I adjective acute, astute, bright, clear headed, clever, deep, discerning, discriminating, farsighted, intellectual, intelligent, judicious, keen, knowing, learned, perceptive, perspicacious, profound, quick of apprehension, quick witted,… …   Law dictionary

  • sapient — sage, *wise, judicious, prudent, sensible, sane Analogous words: *learned, erudite, scholarly: sagacious, perspicacious (see SHREWD) …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • sapient — [adj] sagacious acute, astucious, astute, cagey*, canny, clear sighted, clever, contemplative, discerning, discriminating, educated, enlightened, experienced, farsighted, foxy*, informed, insightful, intelligent, judicious, keen, knowing,… …   New thesaurus

  • sapient — ► ADJECTIVE formal ▪ wise, or attempting to appear wise. ORIGIN from Latin sapere be wise …   English terms dictionary

  • sapient — adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin sapient , sapiens, from present participle of sapere to taste, be wise more at sage Date: 15th century possessing or expressing great sagacity Synonyms: see wise • sapiently… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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