perceive

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled perceivilng

US /pɚˈsiv/ UK /pəˈsiːv/ See IPA manual

Freq #13335

Meanings

1

verb
To become aware of something through the senses, especially sight.

I could perceive the ship coming over the horizon.
2

verb
To understand or come to realize something.

She finally perceived the futility of arguing with him.
3

verb
To think of or regard someone or something in a particular way.

His comrades perceived him as a coward.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 verb · to understand or come to... comprehend

More discern ken percept sensate sense

Word family

Forms perceivdperceivedperceivesperceivingunperceivably

Derived forms misperceivenonperceivingoverperceiveperceivableperceivanceperceiverperceivinglyperceivingnesspreperceivereperceiveunderperceiveunperceiving

Related forms percept perception perceptive

Simplified etymology

Perceive dates from Middle English and ultimately derives from Latin capere ‘take or hold’; its literal sense is ‘hold entirely’.

Etymology

From Middle English perceyven, borrowed from Old French percevoir, perceveir, from Latin percipiō, past participle perceptus (“take hold of, obtain, receive, observe”), from per (“by, through”) + capiō (“to take”); see capable. Compare conceive, deceive, receive.

*keh₂p- Proto-Indo-European perceyven Middle English percevoir Old French percipiō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# perceive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /pɚˈsiv/
**IPA (UK):** /pəˈsiːv/
**Frequency rank:** 13335

## Meanings
1. To become aware of something through the senses, especially sight.
2. To understand or come to realize something.
3. To think of or regard someone or something in a particular way.

## Examples
- I could perceive the ship coming over the horizon.
- She finally perceived the futility of arguing with him.
- His comrades perceived him as a coward.

## Synonyms
- discern
- ken
- percept
- sensate
- sense

## Derived Forms
- misperceive
- nonperceiving
- overperceive
- perceivable
- perceivance
- perceiver
- perceivingly
- perceivingness
- preperceive
- reperceive
- underperceive
- unperceiving

## Related Forms
- percept
- perception
- perceptive

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *keh₂p-
- Root: perceyven
- Root: percevoir
- Root: percipiō

## Etymology
From Middle English perceyven, borrowed from Old French percevoir, perceveir, from Latin percipiō, past participle perceptus (“take hold of, obtain, receive, observe”), from per (“by, through”) + capiō (“to take”); see capable. Compare conceive, deceive, receive.

## AI Etymology
Perceive comes from Middle English perceyven, borrowed from Old French percevoir, perceveir, from Latin percipiō, past participle perceptus (“take hold of, obtain, receive, observe”), from per (“by, through”) + capiō (“to take”); see capable. Compare conceive, deceive, receive. In present-day English it covers to become aware of something through the senses, especially sight, to understand or come to realize something, and to think of or regard someone or something in a particular way. The wider family includes derived forms such as misperceive, nonperceiving, overperceive, perceivable, perceivance and related forms such as percept, perception, perceptive.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

markdown