01 n. The act of perceiving; cognizance by the senses or intellect; apprehension by the bodily organs, or by the mind, of what is presented to th…
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1.
The act of perceiving; cognizance by the senses or intellect; apprehension by the bodily organs, or by the mind, of what is presented to them; discernment; apprehension; cognition.
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2.
The faculty of perceiving; the faculty, or peculiar part, of man's constitution by which he has knowledge through the medium or instrumentality of the bodily organs; the act of apperhending material objects or qualities through the senses; -- distinguished from conception.(Metaph.)“Matter hath no life nor perception, and is not conscious of its own existence.” — Bentley.
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3.
The quality, state, or capability, of being affected by something external; sensation; sensibility.[Obs.]“This experiment discovereth perception in plants.” — Bacon.
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4.
An idea; a notion.[Obs.]