perceive
[per-seev]
- to become aware of, know, or identify by means of the senses: I perceived an object looming through the mist.
- to recognize, discern, envision, or understand: I perceive a note of sarcasm in your voice. This is a nice idea but I perceive difficulties in putting it into practice.
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Origin of perceive
1250–1300; Middle English perceiven < Anglo-French *perceivre, for perçoivre < Latin percipere to lay hold of, grasp, equivalent to per- per- + -cipere, combining form of capere to take
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
recognized, anticipated, heard, noticed, observed, understood, touched, noted, witnessed, felt, heeded, graspedExamples from the Web for perceived
Contemporary Examples
They say it's frightening how the real CIA is perceived to be as clueless as Archer Co.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISISMarlow Stern
January 8, 2015
The most dangerous attacks are those that undermine your perceived strength.
Apple customers, on the other hand, are used to paying premium for perceived quality.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern ArtAlec Kubas-Meyer
January 2, 2015
In Colombia, it was perceived more like a coincidence or perhaps even an opportunistic play by the FARC.
Venezuela Says Goodbye to Its Lil Friend, While the Rest of the Continent CheersCatalina Lobo-Guererro
December 20, 2014
The speakers emphasized the diversity of the crowd and seemed to almost play defense over any perceived media attacks.
Sharpton Recalls Civil Rights Struggle in DC March Against Police ViolenceBen Jacobs
December 13, 2014
Historical Examples
Plato perceived that the contemplative maiden was busy with memories of the past.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
But as Philothea bent over him, she perceived a faint pulsation of the heart.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
I then perceived that there was a very unusual expression in his face.
To be Read at DuskCharles Dickens
But of the arc which He disclosed no one group of His followers has as yet perceived the whole.
The Conquest of FearBasil King
The enormous importance of this work will be at once perceived.
perceive
- to become aware of (something) through the senses, esp the sight; recognize or observe
- (tr; may take a clause as object) to come to comprehend; grasp
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Word Origin
C13: from Old French perçoivre, from Latin percipere seize entirely, from per- (thoroughly) + capere to grasp
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for perceived
perceive
v.
c.1300, via Anglo-French parceif, Old North French *perceivre (Old French perçoivre) "perceive, notice, see; recognize, understand," from Latin percipere "obtain, gather, seize entirely, take possession of," also, figuratively, "to grasp with the mind, learn, comprehend," literally "to take entirely," from per "thoroughly" (see per) + capere "to grasp, take" (see capable).
Replaced Old English ongietan. Both the Latin senses were in Old French, though the primary sense of Modern French percevoir is literal, "to receive, collect" (rents, taxes, etc.), while English uses the word almost always in the metaphorical sense. Related: Perceived; perceiving.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
perceive
(pər-sēv′)- To become aware of directly through any of the senses, especially sight or hearing.
- To achieve understanding of; apprehend.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.