# sensation

Pronunciation: say "sen-SAY-shuhn" /sɛnˈseɪʃən/

## Noun

1. A physical feeling or perception produced when something touches or affects the body.
   - Simple: A feeling in your body when something touches or affects it.
   - _A burning sensation in her throat told her the soup was too hot._
   - _The numbing sensation faded as blood returned to his hand._
2. A widespread public reaction of strong interest or excitement about someone or something.
   - Simple: A lot of public excitement and interest about someone or something.
   - _The young gymnast's performance caused a sensation at the championships._
   - _The book was an instant sensation, selling millions of copies within weeks._
3. The stimulation of sensory organs that lets the body detect things around it.
   - Simple: The activity in your sense organs when they react to something.
   - _Sensation depends on receptors in the skin, eyes, and ears sending signals to the brain._
   - _After the surgery, sensation slowly returned to the patient's fingertips as the nerves healed._

## Noun

4. A person who attracts widespread admiration or excitement by being truly remarkable. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A person who amazes and excites a lot of people.
   - _The dancer was the sensation of the season, talked about in every drawing room._
   - _As a debut novelist she became a sensation among the literary set._
5. A modest serving of gin or sherry taken as a drink. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A small drink of gin or sherry.

## Origin

This word came from Old French, which took it from Medieval Latin "sensatio," itself from Latin "sensus."

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