Added 9 October 2026
sapient
/ˈseɪ.pi.ənt/ adjective
Latin root: sapient Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sapient at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Possessing discernment and wisdom; learned, wise.
- Attempting to appear discerning or wise. Followed by of: aware or knowledgeable of. Of a lifeform or species: possessing human-like intelligence or degree of self-awareness.
- Attempting to appear discerning or wise.
noun
- A wise person; a sage.
- An intelligent, self-aware being.
- A human being of the species Homo sapiens.
Origin
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English sapient (“learned, wise”), from Old French sapient, or from its etymon Latin sapient-, a stem of sapiēns (“(adjective) discerning, judicious, wise; (noun) wise man, sage”), the present active participle of sapiō (“to have a flavour of, taste like; (figurative) to have good taste; to have discernment or sense; to be prudent, sensible, or wise”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁p-, *sep- (“to taste; to try out”). Doublet of savant. The noun is derived from the adjective, and also influenced by Latin sapiēns (noun) (see above).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)