insight

B1 Topic:People & Society

US /ˈɪnsaɪ̯t/ UK /ˈɪnsaɪ̯t/ See IPA manual

Freq #8664

Meanings

1

noun
A clear, deep understanding of a person, situation, or subject.

The book gives a fascinating insight into how the brain works.
2

noun
A sudden clear understanding of a difficult problem.

In a flash of insight, she finally saw how to solve the puzzle.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a clear, deep understanding... discernment perception perceptiveness

2 noun · a sudden clear... brainwave

Word family

Forms insights

Derived forms insightedinsightfulinsightless

Related forms outsight

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

poetic insight
a deep perception expressed through or inspired by poetry

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English insight, insiht (“insight, mental vision, intelligence, understanding”), equivalent to in- + sight. Perhaps continuing Old English insiht (“narrative, argument, account”), from Proto-Germanic *insahtiz (“account, narrative, argument”). Compare West Frisian ynsjoch (“insight”), Dutch inzicht (“insight, awareness, view, opinion”), German Low German Insicht (“insight”), German Einsicht (“insight, knowledge, perception, understanding”), Danish indsigt (“insight”), Swedish insikt (“insight”), Icelandic innsýn (“insight”).

insight Middle English insiht Old English *insahtiz Proto-Germanic

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Topics

People & Society

External links

# insight

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɪnsaɪ̯t/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɪnsaɪ̯t/
**Frequency rank:** 8664

## Meanings
1. A clear, deep understanding of a person, situation, or subject.
2. A sudden clear understanding of a difficult problem.

## Examples
- The book gives a fascinating insight into how the brain works.
- In a flash of insight, she finally saw how to solve the puzzle.

## Derived Forms
- insighted
- insightful
- insightless

## Related Forms
- outsight

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: insight
- Root: insiht
- Root: *insahtiz

## Etymology
From Middle English insight, insiht (“insight, mental vision, intelligence, understanding”), equivalent to in- + sight. Perhaps continuing Old English insiht (“narrative, argument, account”), from Proto-Germanic *insahtiz (“account, narrative, argument”). Compare West Frisian ynsjoch (“insight”), Dutch inzicht (“insight, awareness, view, opinion”), German Low German Insicht (“insight”), German Einsicht (“insight, knowledge, perception, understanding”), Danish indsigt (“insight”), Swedish insikt (“insight”), Icelandic innsýn (“insight”).

## AI Etymology
Insight comes from Middle English insight, insiht (“insight, mental vision, intelligence, understanding”), equivalent to in- + sight. Perhaps continuing Old English insiht (“narrative, argument, account”), from Proto-Germanic *insahtiz (“account, narrative, argument”). Compare West Frisian ynsjoch (“insight”), Dutch inzicht (“insight, awareness, view, opinion”), German Low German Insicht (“insight”), German Einsicht (“insight, knowledge, perception, understanding”), Danish indsigt (“insight”), Swedish insikt (“insight”), Icelandic innsýn (“insight”). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- People & Society

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