English → Latin
“intellect” in Latin
intellegentiaintelligence, the power of discernment; understanding, knowledge; taste, skill, the capacity to be a connoisseuringeniuminnate or natural quality, natural character; nature; disposition, temper, inclination; intelligence, natural capacitymēnsmind; intellect, reason; reasoning, judgementaciēssharp edge or point; battle line; battle, engagementperspicācitāssharp-sightedness, discernment, discriminationsubtīlitāsfineness, thinness, slenderness, minuteness; keenness, acuteness; exactness, subtletysagācitāskeenness (of perception), acuteness (of the senses); sagacity, shrewdness
The English word intellect itself goes back to Latin inter, through intellēctus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
intellect
intelligentia: intelligendi vis: intelligendi prudentia (the power of understanding: ☞ intellectus, post-Augustan): ingenium (the mental powers): mens (the mind, as endued with intellectual powers; then the power of thought or combination itself: ὁ νῦς). Acuteness of intellect, ingenii acumen or acies: also acumen only: perspicacitas: prudentia perspicax (penetrating insight into the nature of a thing): ingenium acre: subtilitas (the acuteness that easily discerns the differences of things): sagacitas (the acuteness that traces out what is concealed). To be a person of acute intellect, acuti ingenii esse; acri ingenio esse; acriter intelligere: to sharpen the intellect (of things), ingenii acumini inservire mentem, or intelligendi prudentiam, or ingenium acuere: to have an acute intellect, natura acutum esse: to cultivate the intellect, animum mentemque excolere.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for intellect?
- The usual Latin words for “intellect” are intellegentia, ingenium, mēns; also aciēs, perspicācitās, subtīlitās. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.