# sapient

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈseɪ.pi.ənt/ · frequency rank #84,713

## Definitions
1. Possessing discernment and wisdom; learned, wise.
2. Attempting to appear discerning or wise.
3. Followed by of: aware or knowledgeable of.
4. Of a lifeform or species: possessing intelligence or a high degree of self-awareness.
5. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Homo sapiens (modern human beings).
6. Having a (good) flavour or taste; sapid.

## Etymology
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English sapient (“learned, wise”), from Old French sapient, or from its etymon Latin sapient-, a stem of sapiēns (“(adjective) discerning, judicious, wise; (noun) wise man, sage”), the present active participle of sapiō (“to have a flavour of, taste like; (figurative) to have good taste; to have discernment or sense; to be prudent, sensible, or wise”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁p-, *sep- (“to taste; to try out”). Doublet of savant.
The noun is derived from the adjective, and also influenced by Latin sapiēns (noun) (see above).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sapient