sagacity

American  

[suh-gas-i-tee] / səˈgæs ɪ ti /

noun

1. acuteness of mental discernment and soundness of judgment.

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sagacity British  

/ səˈɡæsɪtɪ /

noun

1. foresight, discernment, or keen perception; ability to make good judgments

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Etymology

Origin of sagacity

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin sagācitās “wisdom,” equivalent to sagāci- (stem of sagāx ) “wise” (akin to seek ) + -tās noun suffix; see -ty ²

Explanation

If you are wise and prone to evaluating information before making a decision, you possess sagacity, the trait of solid judgment and intelligent choices. And if that is indeed the case, then good for you! We need more sound thinkers. The Latin word sagācitās is the great-granddaddy of our word sagacity, giving it the meaning "wisdom." Just remember that it contains the word sage, which means "wise one" — our wise ancestors were called "Sages." But before we get too puffed up, we need to remember that in the 17th and 18th centuries, sagacity meant "the acute sense of smell in animals." How humbling. Still, if you display sagacity, you can sniff out a good idea from a bad one.

Example Sentences

A man cannot acquire science by nature, or without teaching: but he may acquire Intellect and Sagacity by nature, simply through, long life and abundant experience.

From Moral Science; a Compendium of Ethics by Bain, Alexander

I shall point out Two or Three, which seem to have sprung from another Source: either a due Want of Sagacity, or an absolute Neglect of literal Criticism. lviii Sir George Wheler corrected.

From Preface to the Works of Shakespeare (1734) by Dick, Hugh G.

It required no great Sagacity to foresee what the Consequence would be of the Pains taken to unsettle all Principles of Religion.

From A Letter from the Lord Bishop of London, to the Clergy and People of London and Westminster; On Occasion of the Late Earthquakes by Sherlock, Thomas

“But France,” said Sagacity, “had ever been a fighter, and would continue to be so till the weary world interfered.”

From The Browning Cyclop?dia A Guide to the Study of the Works of Robert Browning by Berdoe, Edward

Wolves the Great Foe of the Lapps.—How the Reindeer are Protected against Them.—Watching for the Treacherous Brutes.—Stories of their Sagacity.

From The Land of the Long Night by Du Chaillu, Paul B. (Paul Belloni)