Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

2. intellectus, ūs, m. [intellego], a perceiving, discerning.

  1. I. Lit., perception, discernment by the senses: saporum, Plin. 11, 37, 65, § 174: acrimoniae, id. 19, 8, 54, § 171: nec est intellectus ullus in odore vel sapore, i. e. the poison cannot be perceived either by the taste or smell, id. 11, 53, 116, § 280: intellectus in cortice protinus peritis, good judges know a tree by its bark, id. 16, 39, 76, § 196.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. Understanding, comprehension: quīs neque boni intellectus neque mali cura, Tac. A. 6, 36: alicujus rei intellectum amittere, Sen. Ben. 3, 17: capere intellectum disciplinarum, Quint. 1, 1, 15: intellectu consequi aliquid, id. 2, 5, 22: elephantis intellectus sermonis patrii, Plin. 8, 1, 1, § 1: nullum animal minus docile existimatur minorisve intellectus, id. 29, 6, 34, § 106: dissimulare intellectum insidiarum, Tac. A. 13, 38: intellectu carere, to be unintelligible, Quint. 1, 1, 28: rudis Corinthiorum, Vell. 1, 13, 5: intellectum habere, to be understood: hiems et ver et aestas intellectum ac vocabula habent, autumni perinde nomen ac bona ignorantur, Tac. G. 26.
    2. B. Meaning, sense, signification of a word: verba quaedam diversos intellectus habent, ut cerno, Quint. 7, 9, 2: in obscenum intellectum sermo detortus, id. 8, 3, 44; id. 1, 7, 13.
    3. C. Knowledge of a language, understanding: Latini sermonis intellectum habere, Gai. Inst. 3, 93.
    4. D. Understanding, i. e. the faculty of understanding, intellect: per analogiam nostro intellectu et honestum et bonum judicante, Sen. Ep. 120: in errorem intellectum inducere, App. Dogm. Plat. 1, p. 7, 3: intellectu carere, to be without understanding, Dig. 29, 2, 92: aliquem intellectum habere, … nullum intellectum habere, Gai. Inst. 3, 109.

intellĕgo (less correctly intellĭgo), exi, ectum (intellexti for intellexisti, Ter. Eun. 4, 6, 30; Cic. Att. 13, 32, 3: intellexes for intellexisses, Plaut. Cist. 2, 3, 81; subj. perf.: intellegerint, Sall. H. Fragm. 1, 41, 23 Dietsch), 3, v. a. [inter-lego], to see into, perceive, understand.

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. To perceive, understand, comprehend: qualem autem deum intellegere nos possumus nulla virtute praeditum, Cic. N. D. 3, 15, 38 Schoemann ad loc.: haec dumtaxat in Graecis intellego, quae ipsi, qui scripserunt, voluerunt a vulgo intellegi, Cic. de Or. 2, 14: puderet me dicere non intellegere, si vos ipsi intellegeretis, qui ista defenditis, id. N. D. 1, 39: corpus quid sit intellego, id. ib. 1, 26: quare autem in his vis deorum insit, tum intellegam cum cognovero, id. ib. 3, 24: quam sis audax hinc omnes intellegere potuerunt, quod, id. Rosc. Am. 31: magna ex parvis, id. Off. 1, 41: intellexi ex tuis litteris, te audisse, id. Att. 6, 9: de gestu intellego, quid respondeas, id. Vatin. 15: intellegere et sapere plus quam ceteros, id. Off. 2, 14: cernere aliquid animo atque intellegere, id. Top. 5: facile intellectu est, Nep. Dion. 9: intellegi necesse est: esse deos, Cic. N. D. 1, 17; id. Tusc. 3, 5: quocirca intellegi necesse est, in ipsis rebus invitamenta inesse, id. Fin. 5, 11.
      In answers, intellego corresponds to our I understand, go on, very well, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 63; Ter. Phorm. 2, 3, 93.
      Abl. absol.: intellecto; with rel. clause: quidam bonorum caesi, postquam, intellecto in quos saeviretur, pessimi quoque arma rapuerant, Tac. A. 1, 49; intellecto quantum bellum suscitaret, Just. 38, 3, 6.
    2. B. In partic., to have an accurate knowledge of or skill in a thing, to be a connoisseur: faciunt intellegendo ut nihil intellegant, Ter. And. prol. 17: tametsi non multum in istis rebus intellego, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 43, § 94: hoc nugatorium sciebam esse, ista intellegere, id. ib. 2, 4, 14, § 33: quoniam non intellexerunt in operibus domini, Lact. 4, 13, 18: illi qui linguam ejus intellegebant, Petr. S. 73, 3; Sen. Apoc. 5, 2.
    3. C. To distinguish: oraculorum praestigias profani a veritate intellegere non possunt, Lact. 2, 16.
    4. D. To see, perceive, observe by the understanding: vehementer nunc mihi est irata: sentio atque intellego, Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 64: ubi neque cohortationes suas neque preces audiri intellegit, Caes. B. C. 2, 42: illi, ante inito, ut intellectum est, consilio, id. B. G. 2, 33: intellego, quid loquar, Cic. Lig. 5.
    5. E. Of persons, to understand, comprehend, judge rightly (post-Aug.): quod Catonem aetas sua parum intellexisset, Sen. de Const. Sap. 1: quando Socrates ab hominibus sui temporis parum intellegebatur, Quint. 11, 1, 10; Vell. 2, 114, 5; Tac. A. 3, 3: quem legatum tribunus ita et intellexit et cepit, ut, etc., Plin. Ep. 8, 23, 5.
  2. F. To understand a language: isti qui linguam avium intellegunt, Pac. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 57, 131 (Trag. v. 83 Rib.): in iis linguis quas non intellegimus, Cic. Tusc. 5, 40, 116: quantum ego Graece scripta intellegere possum, id. de Or. 2, 13, 55: linguam ejus, Sen. de M. Claud. 5, 2; Petr. 73.
  3. G. To understand by any thing, to take a thing to mean.
      1. 1. With in or sub aliqua re, or per aliquid: illa est εὐταξία, in qua intellegitur ordinis conservatio, Cic. Off. 1, 40, 142: sub hoc themate intellegere non hoc, sed, etc., Sen. Contr. 9, 28, 10: intellego sub hoc verbo multa, id. ib. 1, 2, 15: per nemo homo, Donat. ad Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 1: solem sub appellatione Jovis, Macr. S. 1, 23, 5: per sagittas vim radiorum, id. ib. 1, 17, 12.
      2. 2. With two acc.: non habeo quod intellegam bonum illud, Cic. Tusc. 3, 18, 41.
      3. 3. With acc. and abl.: consuetudo omnibus his nominibus Argesten intellegi, Plin. 2, 47, 46, § 121.
  4. II. Transf., to perceive, discern by the senses; to see, feel, notice. Alcumenam ante aedis stare saturam intellego, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 35: Si. Statum vide hominis, Callipho. … Ca. Bene confidenterque astitisse intellego, id. Ps. 1, 5, 41: illa quidem primo nullos intellegit ignes, Ov. M. 9, 456: frigus, Col. Arbor. 13: vestigia hominum intellegi a feris, Plin. 8, 16, 21, § 58; 28, 4, 14, § 55.
    Hence, in-tellĕgens, entis, P. a., that has understanding or that understands a thing; intelligent, acquainted with.
    1. A. In gen.: semperne vulgi judicium cum intellegentium judicio congruit? Cic. Brut. 49: intellegens dicendi existimator, id. ib. 54: judicium, id. Opt. Gen. Or. 4: vir, id. Fin. 3, 5.
      With gen.: cujusvis generis ejus intellegens, id. ib. 2, 20.
      Comp.: aliquid intellegentiore mente discutere, Aug. Retract. 1, 19.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. Intellegens alicujus, that understands a person, rightly estimates his character: intellegens principis nostri, cujus videbam hanc esse laudem, Plin. Ep. 6, 27, 2 Döring ad loc.
      2. 2. Well skilled in matters of taste, a connoisseur: signa pulcherrima quae non modo istum hominem, ingeniosum atque intellegentem, verum etiam quemvis nostrum, quos iste idiotas appellat, delectare possent, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 2, § 4: ut putetur in istis rebus intellegens esse, id. ib. 2. 4, 15, § 33.
        Adv.: intellĕgenter, intelligently: ut amice, ut intelligenter, ut attente audiamur, Cic. Part. 8, 28: lectitare, Plin. Ep. 5, 16, 3.