■ noun
1》 a faculty by which the body perceives an external stimulus; one of the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.
↘( one's ~s ) one's sanity: she seems to have taken leave of her ~s.
2》 an awareness of something or feeling that something is the case.
3》 a sane and realistic attitude to situations and problems.
↘a reasonable or comprehensible rationale.
4》 a way in which an expression or situation can be interpreted; a meaning.
5》 chiefly Mathematics & Physics the property distinguishing two opposite but otherwise identical things, e.g. motion in opposite directions.
6》 [as modifier ] Genetics relating to or denoting a coding sequence of nucleotides, complementary to an anti~ sequence.
■ verb
1》 perceive by a ~ or ~s.
↘be vaguely or indefinably aware of.
2》 (of a machine or similar device) detect.
Phrases
make ~ be intelligible, justifiable, or practicable.
make ~ of find meaning or coherence in.
Origin
ME: from L. sensus 'faculty of feeling, thought, meaning', from sentire 'feel'.