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

As such, I present them, without any Remarks, to my Reader, who, if he only goes near to be edified by them, will discover a great Share of Sagacity.

From An Essay towards Fixing the True Standards of Wit, Humour, Railery, Satire, and Ridicule (1744) by Clifford, James L.

He is esteemed for his Sagacity and good Nature.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume II Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels From Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

There is no Body, though I say it my self, would be fitter for this Office than I am: For I am an ugly Fellow of great Wit and Sagacity.

From The Spectator, Volume 2. by Addison, Joseph

Comparative Sagacity, or Perspicacity, as Gall called it, was a better term than Comparison, which was introduced by Spurzheim.

From Buchanan's Journal of Man, October 1887 Volume 1, Number 9 by Buchanan, Joseph R. (Joseph Rodes)

As a water-doctor, too, his Sagacity was inconceivable.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, November 6, 1841, by Various