Origin of extrasensory perception

First recorded in 1930–35

British Dictionary definitions for extrasensory perception

extrasensory perception

noun

the supposed ability of certain individuals to obtain information about the environment without the use of normal sensory channels Also called: cryptaesthesia Abbreviation: ESP See also clairvoyance (def. 1), telepathy

Medical definitions for extrasensory perception

extrasensory perception

n.

Perception by means other than through the ordinary senses, as in telepathy, clairvoyance, or precognition.

Cultural definitions for extrasensory perception

extrasensory perception

Knowledge or perception without the use of any of the five senses. ESP includes clairvoyance (knowledge about some distant object or event, such as an unreported accident), telepathy (reading another's thoughts or sending one's own to another), and precognition (predicting the future). Although many people claim to have extrasensory powers, these powers have yet to be verified by scientific procedures. (See also parapsychology and psychic research.)