ˈint ə lˌekt noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin intellectus, from intellectus, past participle of intellegere, intelligere to perceive, understand — more at intelligent
1.
a. : the power or faculty of knowing as distinguished from the power to feel and to will
b. Aristotelianism
(1) : passive reason
(2) : active reason
c. Scholasticism : the faculty of penetrating appearances and getting at the substance through abstraction from and elimination of the individual
d. Thomism
(1) : the receptive faculty of cognition that makes apprehensible the phantasms or intelligible forms — called also passive intellect, possible intellect, potential intellect
(2) : the aspect of the soul that is immortal and constitutes the active power of thought operating upon the phantasms or intelligible forms — called also active intellect, agent intellect
e. : understanding , reason
2.
a. : a person given to reflective thought or reasoning : a person of notable intellect : brain
the outstanding intellect of the whole convention — Hispanic American Hist. Review
b. : the totality of intellectual persons
the intellect of the country recognized his superiority
3. intellects plural , now chiefly dialect : wits , faculties
she wishes I had more intellects — Eden Phillpotts
Synonyms: see mind