sapience

American  

[sey-pee-uhns] / ˈseɪ pi əns /

Rarely sapiency

noun

1. great wisdom or sound judgment.

   He did much to inculcate the image of a good prince, demonstrating his sapience at Oxford and doing justice with rigor and compassion.

2. the capacity to be self-aware.

   Language existed long before there was writing, emerging most likely at the same time as sapience, abstract thought, and the genus Homo.

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Etymology

Origin of sapience

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Old French, from Latin sapientia “wisdom,” from sapient-, stem of sapiēns + -ia -ia ( def. ); see sapient ( def. )

Explanation

Sapience is the quality of being wise, or wisdom. When voters are choosing a candidate, they usually hope for one with at least a degree of sapience. Many people believe that when we grow older, our sapience also increases as we gain experience and knowledge. Sapience is an important quality in a good teacher or mentor, since students can benefit from that wisdom. Sapience is an Old French word that comes from the Latin sapientia, "good taste, good sense, intelligence, or wisdom." The Proto-Indo-European root is sep-, "to taste or to perceive."

Example Sentences

The software, Sapience, claims to create "unprecedented transparency" within companies.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2020

By July 2016, Sapience had raised US$22.5 million from investors.

From Nature • May 16, 2017

One of the key backers of Sapience is the global biopharmaceutical company Celgene, which has an established cancer-drug pipeline.

From Nature • May 16, 2017

Sapience Therapeutics is hoping to tackle the hard-to-treat cancer glioblastoma.

From Nature • May 16, 2017

So sang the Hierarchies: Mean while the Son On his great Expedition now appeer'd, Girt with Omnipotence, with Radiance crown'd Of Majestie Divine, Sapience and Love Immense, and all his Father in him shon.

From The Poetical Works of John Milton by Milton, John