intellect

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The power of the mind to think, reason, and understand.

   Solving problems like this requires real intellect.

2. 2
   noun

   A person's level of mental ability.

   They were chosen for the team because of their outstanding intellect.

3. 3
   noun

   A highly intelligent person.

   Some of the world's leading intellects were meeting at the conference.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Intellect entered English in the late Middle English period and goes back to Latin intellegere, literally “to choose between” and hence “to understand.” Intelligence and intelligible share the same origin.

Borrowed from Late Latin intellēctus (“understanding, intellect”), from Latin intellegō (“understand; reason”), from inter (“between, among”) + legō (“read”), with connotation of bind.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary