Sentience

Pronunciation ,

• RP IPA: /ˈsÉ›nʃəns/, /ˈsÉ›ntʃiÉ™ns/

Origin

From sentiens, present participle of sentiō ("feel, sense")

Full definition of sentience

Noun

1. The state or quality of being sentient; possession of consciousness or sensory awareness.
• 1903, Bram Stoker, The Jewel of Seven Stars, ch. 5:The shadows . . . presently began to seem, as on last night, to have a sentience of their own.
• 2007 Dec. 28, Alexandra Silver, "Did This Tiger Hold a Grudge?," Time:The science of animal sentience is far from a firm one; there's no way of knowing exactly what any animal is feeling.

Related terms

• sentiency
• sentient
• pansentience