# perception

Pronunciation: US say "pur-SEP-shuhn" /pɚˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/; UK say "puh-SEP-shuhn" /pəˈsɛpʃn̩/

## Noun

1. Conscious understanding of something.
   - Simple: A clear understanding of something in your mind.
   - _His perception of the situation shifted once the new evidence emerged._
   - _Years of experience sharpened her perception of how markets behave._
2. The process by which the mind organizes, identifies, and makes sense of information from the senses.
   - Simple: The way the brain takes in and makes sense of what the senses tell it.
   - _Visual perception lets the brain assemble separate light signals into a single image._
   - _Damage to certain brain regions can disrupt perception even when the sense organs work fine._
3. The ability to see; eyesight.
   - Simple: The power of the eyes to see things.
   - _The pilot's keen perception let her spot the distant aircraft before the instruments did._
   - _Dim light reduces perception, making faraway objects hard to make out._
4. Keenness or sharpness of insight; acuity.
   - Simple: A sharp, quick ability to notice or understand things.
   - _The critic's perception cut through the novel's surface to its hidden flaws._
   - _Long training gave the surgeon a perception fine enough to detect the slightest change in the tissue._

## Origin

From Middle English percepcioun, from Middle French percepcion, from Latin perceptiō ("a receiving or collecting, comprehension"), based on percipiō ("I perceive, observe").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/perception (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).