n.
- The process, act, or faculty of perceiving.
- The effect or product of perceiving.
- Psychology.
- Recognition and interpretation of sensory stimuli based chiefly on memory.
- The neurological processes by which such recognition and interpretation are effected.
- Insight, intuition, or knowledge gained by perceiving.
- The capacity for such insight.
[Middle English percepcioun, from Old French percepcion, from Latin perceptiō, perceptiōn-, from perceptus, past participle of percipere, to perceive. See perceive.]
perceptional per·cep'tion·al adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.