insipience

[ in-sip-ee-uhns ]

nounArchaic.
  1. lack of wisdom; foolishness.

Origin of insipience

1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin insipientia “foolishness,” equivalent to insipient- stem of insipiēns “foolish” (in- in-3 + -sipient-, combining form of sapient- sapient) + -ia; see -ence

Other words from insipience

  • in·sip·i·ent, adjective
  • in·sip·i·ent·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with insipience

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use insipience in a sentence

  • In other words it is the negative quality of passiveness either in recoverable latency or insipient latescence.

    What Is Man? And Other Stories | Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

British Dictionary definitions for insipience

insipience

/ (ɪnˈsɪpɪəns) /


noun
  1. archaic lack of wisdom

Origin of insipience

1
C15: from Latin insipientia, from in- 1 + sapientia wisdom; see sapient

Derived forms of insipience

  • insipient, adjective
  • insipiently, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012