intuition

[ in-too-ish-uh n, -tyoo- ]
/ ˌɪn tuˈɪʃ ən, -tyu- /

noun

direct perception of truth, fact, etc., independent of any reasoning process; immediate apprehension.
a fact, truth, etc., perceived in this way.
a keen and quick insight.
the quality or ability of having such direct perception or quick insight.
Philosophy.
  1. an immediate cognition of an object not inferred or determined by a previous cognition of the same object.
  2. any object or truth so discerned.
  3. pure, untaught, noninferential knowledge.
Linguistics. the ability of the native speaker to make linguistic judgments, as of the grammaticality, ambiguity, equivalence, or nonequivalence of sentences, deriving from the speaker's native-language competence.

Origin of intuition

1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin intuitiōn- (stem of intuitiō) contemplation, equivalent to Latin intuit(us), past participle of intuērī to gaze at, contemplate + -iōn- -ion. See in-2, tuition

OTHER WORDS FROM intuition

in·tu·i·tion·less, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for intuition

British Dictionary definitions for intuition

intuition
/ (ˌɪntjʊˈɪʃən) /

noun

knowledge or belief obtained neither by reason nor by perception
instinctive knowledge or belief
a hunch or unjustified belief
philosophy immediate knowledge of a proposition or object such as Kant's account of our knowledge of sensible objects
the supposed faculty or process by which we obtain any of these

Derived forms of intuition

intuitional, adjective intuitionally, adverb

Word Origin for intuition

C15: from Late Latin intuitiō a contemplation, from Latin intuērī to gaze upon, from tuērī to look at