PERSPICACIOUS

How it’s pronounced

Definition:

Having keen insight or understanding.

Examples:

• "Grandma is way too perspicacious—I didn’t even say anything, and she already knew I was upset."

• "You think you’re being clever, but even my dog is more perspicacious than you, and he can tell you’re lying.”

Etymology:

From Latin perspicax, meaning “sharp-sighted” or “having keen vision or insight.” This, in turn, derives from perspicere, which means “to look through” (per- meaning “through” and specere meaning “to look” or “to see”).

The word entered English in the early 17th century, retaining its meaning of keen mental perception and discernment.

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