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Origin and history of intellect

intellect(n.)

"the sum of the cognitive facilities (except sense or sense and imagination), the capacity for reasoning truth," late 14c. (but little used before 16c.), from Old French intellect "intellectual capacity" (13c.), and directly from Latin intellectus "discernment, a perception, understanding," noun use of past participle of intelligere "to understand, discern" (see intelligence). The Latin word was used to translate Greek nous "mind, thought, intellect" in Aristotle.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to intellect

intelligence(n.)

late 14c., "the highest faculty of the mind, capacity for comprehending general truths;" c. 1400, "faculty of understanding, comprehension," from Old French intelligence (12c.) and directly from Latin intelligentia, intellegentia "understanding, knowledge, power of discerning; art, skill, taste," from intelligentem (nominative intelligens) "discerning, appreciative," present participle of intelligere "to understand, comprehend, come to know." This is from assimilated form of inter "between" (see inter-) + legere "choose, pick out, read," from PIE root *leg- (1) "to collect, gather," with derivatives meaning "to speak (to 'pick out words')."

The meaning "superior understanding, sagacity, quality of being intelligent" is from early 15c. The sense of "information received or imparted, news" is recorded by mid-15c., especially "secret information from spies" (1580s). The meaning "a being endowed with understanding or intelligence" is late 14c. Intelligence quotient is recorded by 1921 (see I.Q.).

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    mind
    "that which feels, wills, and thinks; the intellect," late 12c., mynd, from Old English gemynd "memory, remembrance; state of being remembered; thought, purpose; conscious mind, intellect, intention," Proto-Germanic *ga-mundiz (source also of Gothic muns "thought," munan "to thin
    reason
    c. 1200, resoun, "the intellectual faculty that adopts actions to ends," also "statement in an argument, statement of explanation or justification," from Anglo-French resoun, Old French raison "course; matter; subject; language, speech; thought, opinion," from Latin rationem (nom
    intellectual
    late 14c., "grasped by the understanding" (rather than by the senses), from Old French intellectuel (13c.) and directly from Latin intellectualis "relating to the understanding," from intellectus "discernment, understanding," noun use of past participle of intelligere "to underst
    intelligible
    In Middle English also "to be grasped by the intellect" (rather than the senses)....
    natural
    But an older sense is almost opposite to this, "half-wit, idiot" (one "naturally deficient" in intellect), which was in use...
    distracted
    From 1580s as "disordered in intellect, frantic, mad." Related: Distractedly; distractedness....
    snip-snap
    attested from 1670s as an adjective; 1590s as a verb, and 1580s as an adverb: "snip, snap, quick and home; it rejoiceth my intellect...
    exponent
    1706, from Latin exponentem (nominative exponens), present participle of exponere "put forth" (see expound). Earliest use is the mathematical one (said to have been introduced in algebra by Descartes) for the symbol placed above and to the right of another to indicate by what pow
    module
    1580s, "allotted measure," a sense now obsolete, from French module (1540s) or directly from Latin modulus "small measure," diminutive of modus "measure, manner" (from PIE root *med- "take appropriate measures"). Sense of "a standard measure to regulate proportions" is from 1620s
    student
    late 14c., studient, "studious person, one who pursues knowledge," from Old French estudiant "student, scholar, one who is studying" (Modern French étudiant), noun use of present participle of estudiier, from Medieval Latin studiare "to study," from Latin studium (see study (v.))

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