perceive

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per·ceive / pərˈsēv/ • v. [tr.] 1. become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand: his mouth fell open as he perceived the truth| he was quick to perceive that there was little future in such arguments. ∎  become aware of (something) by the use of one of the senses, esp. that of sight: he perceived the faintest of flushes creeping up her neck. 2. interpret or look on (someone or something) in a particular way; regard as: if Guy does not perceive himself as disabled, nobody else should | [tr.] some geographers perceive hydrology to be a separate field of scientific inquiry. DERIVATIVES: per·ceiv·a·ble adj. per·ceiv·er n. ORIGIN: Middle English: from a variant of Old Frenchperçoivre, from Latin percipere‘seize, understand,’ from per- ‘entirely’ +capere ‘take.’