Lewis & Short

2. sensus, ūs, m. [sentio], the faculty or power of perceiving, perception, feeling, sensation, sense, etc.

  1. I. Corporeal, perception, feeling, sensation: omne animal sensus habet: sentit igitur et calida et frigida et dulcia et amara, nec potest ullo sensu jucunda accipere et non accipere contraria: si igitur voluptatis sensum capit, doloris etiam capit. etc., Cic. N. D. 3, 13, 32: moriendi sensum celeritas abstulit, id. Lael. 3, 12: si quis est sensus in morte, id. Phil. 9, 6, 13: (Niobe) posuit sensum saxea facta mali, Ov. P. 1, 2, 32: sensum voluptatemque percipere, Plin. Ep. 1, 10, 12.
    1. B. A sense, capacity for feeling: ut idem interitus sit animorum et corporum nec ullus sensus maneat, etc., Cic. Lael. 4, 14: tactus corporis est sensus, Lucr. 2, 435: oculorum, id. 3, 361; so, oculorum, aurium, Cic. Tusc. 5, 38, 111; id. Fin. 2, 16, 52; id. Div. 2, 52, 107; cf. videndi, id. de Or. 2, 87, 357: audiendi, id. Rep. 6, 18, 19: quod neque oculis neque auribus neque ullo sensu percipi potest, id. Or. 2, 8: quamquam oriretur (tertia philosophiae pars) a sensibus, tamen non esse judicium veritatis in sensibus, id. Ac. 1, 8, 30: res subjectae sensibus, id. ib. 1, 8, 31: gustatus, qui est sensus ex omnibus maxime voluptarius, id. de Or. 3, 25, 99: sensus autem interpretes ac nuntii rerum in capite et facti et conlocati sunt, id. N. D. 2, 56, 140: omne animal sensus habet, id. ib. 3, 13, 32: carent conchae visu, omnique sensu alio quam cibi et periculi, Plin. 9, 30, 48, § 90: ab eā parte opus orsus, ut a sensu ejus, averteret, Curt. 4, 6, 9.
  2. II. Mental, feeling, sentiment, emotion, affection; sense, understanding, capacity; humor, inclination, disposition, frame of mind, etc.: ipse in commovendis judicibus eis ipsis sensibus, ad quos illos adducere vellem, permoverer, Cic. de Or. 2, 45, 189: an vos quoque hic innocentium cruciatus pari sensu doloris adficit? id. Verr. 2, 5, 46, § 123: vestri sensus ignarus, id. Mil. 27, 72: humanitatis, id. Verr. 2, 1, 18, § 47; id. Rosc. Am. 53, 154: applicatio animi cum quodam sensu amandi … ut facile earum (bestiarum) sensus appareat … sensus amoris exsistit, etc., id. Lael. 8, 27; cf.: ipsi intellegamus naturā gigni sensum diligendi, id. ib. 9, 32: meus me sensus, quanta vis fraterni sit amoris, admonet, id. Fam. 5, 2, 10: utere argumento ipse sensus tui, id. Rep. 1, 38, 59: nihil est tam molle, tam aut fragile aut flexibile quam voluntas erga nos sensusque civium, id. Mil. 16, 42: quae mihi indigna et intolerabilia videntur, ea pro me ipso et animi mei sensu ac dolore pronuntio, id. Rosc. Am. 44, 129.
      1. 2. Opinion, thought, sense, view: animi, Cic. de Or. 2, 35, 148: valde mihi placebat sensus ejus de re publicā, id. Att. 15, 7: (orator) ita peragrat per animos hominum, ita sensus mentesque pertractat, ut, etc., id. de Or. 1, 51, 222 sq.: qui est iste tuus sensus, quae cogitatio? Brutos ut non probes, Antonios probes? id. Phil. 10, 2, 4: dissidenti sensus suos aperire, Nep. Dion, 8, 2: sensus reconditi, Plin. Ep. 2, 3, 2.
      2. 3. Esp., the common feelings of humanity, the moral sense, taste, discretion, tact in intercourse with men, often called in full sensus communis (sometimes with hominum), and often in other phrases of similar force: ut in ceteris (artium studiis) id maxime excellat, quod longissime sit ab imperitorum intellegentiā sensuque disjunctum, in dicendo autem vitium vel maximum sit a volgari genere orationis atque a consuetudine communis sensus abhorrere, Cic. de Or. 1, 3, 12: quae versantur in sensu hominum communi, id. ib. 2, 16, 68; id. Planc. 13, 31: communis ille sensus in aliis fortasse latuit, id. ib. 14, 34; Hor. S. 1, 3, 66: sit in beneficio sensus communis, Sen. Ben. 1, 12, 3; id. Ep. 5, 4; 105, 3; Quint. 1, 2, 20: rarus sensus communis in illā fortunā, Juv. 8, 73.
        Plur., Cic. Clu. 6, 17: ea sunt in communibus infixa sensibus, id. de Or. 3, 50, 195; so, vulgaris popularisque sensus, id. ib. 1, 23, 108: haec oratio longe a nostris sensibus abhorrebat, id. ib. 1, 18, 83; cf.: mirari solebam istum in his ipsis rebus aliquem sensum habere, quem scirem nullā in re quicquam simile hominis habere, id. Verr. 2, 4, 14, § 33.
    1. B. Transf. (in the poets, and also in prose after the Aug. per.), of the thinking faculty, sense, understanding, mind, reason (syn.: mens, ratio).
      1. 1. In gen. (rare): misero quod omnes Eripit sensus mihi, Cat. 51, 6; cf.: tibi sensibus ereptis mens excidit, id. 66, 25; Ov. M. 3, 631; 14, 178: (quibus fortuna) sensum communem abstulit, common sense, Phaedr. 1, 7, 4 (in another signif., v. supra, II. A. fin., and infra, 2. fin.): eam personam, quae furore detenta est, quia sensum non habet, etc., Dig. 24, 3, 22, § 7: nec potest animal injuriam fecisse, quod sensu caret, ib. 9, 1, 1, § 3.
      2. 2. In partic., of discourse.
        1. a. Abstr., sense, idea, notion, meaning, signification (syn.: sententia, notio, significatio, vis; poet. and post-Aug.; freq. in Quint.): nec testamenti potuit sensus colligi, Phaedr. 4, 5, 19: verba, quibus voces sensusque notarent, Hor. S. 1, 3, 103: is verbi sensus, Ov. F. 5, 484: quae verbis aperta occultos sensus habent, Quint. 8, 2, 20: ambiguitas, quae turbare potest sensum, id. 8, 2, 16: verba duos sensus significantia, id. 6, 3, 48: ἀλληγορία aliud verbis, aliud sensu ostendit, id. 8, 6, 44: Pomponium sensibus celebrem, verbis rudem, Vell. 2, 9, 5: horum versuum sensus atque ordo sic, opinor, est, Gell. 7, 2, 10: egregie dicta circa eumdem sensum tria, Sen. Ep. 7, 10.
          Introducing a quotation: erat autem litterarum sensus hujusmodi, Amm. 20, 8, 4.
          With gen. person: salvo modo poëtae sensu, the meaning, Quint. 1, 9, 2.
        2. b. Concr., a thought expressed in words, a sentence, period (postAug.): sensus omnis habet suum finem, poscitque naturale intervallum, quo a sequentis initio dividatur, Quint. 9, 4, 61; 7, 10, 16; cf. id. 11, 2, 20: puer ut sciat, ubi claudatur sensus, id. 1, 8, 1: ridendi, qui velut leges prooemiis omnibus dederunt, ut intra quattuor sensus terminarentur, id. 4, 1, 62: verbo sensum cludere multo optimum est, id. 9, 4, 26 et saep.
          Hence, communes sensus (corresp. with loci), commonplaces, Tac. Or. 31.