Akousis

Akousis is the transliteration of the Ancient Greek ἀκοῦσίς (akousis), meaning the sense of hearing or the act of hearing. It is formed from the verb ἀκούω (akouō), “to hear.” In classical and scholarly contexts, akousis denotes auditory perception as a sensory faculty.

Historically, the term appears in Greek philosophy and rhetoric to discuss perception and sound. The root akous- also underpins the later Latin and European scholarly vocabulary; the adjective ἀκουστικός (akoustikos) gave rise to English terms such as acoustic and acoustics.

Today, akousis is primarily encountered in linguistic, philological, or historical discussions about ancient Greek perception. In modern clinical or otological usage, writers more often use related terms such as acusia (hearing) or anacusis (complete deafness) rather than the standalone akousis; nevertheless, the root remains visible in related English words describing sound and hearing, such as acoustic and acoustics.