Inteligjentë

Inteligjentë is an Albanian term that functions as both an adjective and a noun to refer to people who are intelligent or to a social group of educated, culturally active individuals. In everyday language it can simply mean “intelligent people,” and in sociocultural and historical contexts it is used to describe the intelligentsia, the educated elite contributing to culture, science, and public life.

Etymology and forms: The stem inteligjent comes from Latin intelligens, through Romance languages such as Italian (intelligente) and French (intelligent). In Albanian, the related noun for the concept of intelligence is inteligencë. Grammatical forms include inteligjent (masculine singular), inteligjente (feminine singular), inteligjentë (masculine plural), and inteligjente (feminine plural), with usage governed by standard gender and number agreement.

Usage and context: Inteligjentë is common in formal and literary Albanian, and it may appear in discussions of education, culture, science, or politics. It can describe individuals who have achieved high intellectual competence or refer to a broader class engaged in intellectual pursuits. In some contexts it overlaps with the notion of the intelligentsia as a social or cultural group, though the latter term may be preferred for explicit sociopolitical nuance.

See also: Inteligjencë, elita intelektuale, intelligentsia (loanword usage in Albanian discourse), and related phrases describing culture, education, or scholarly activity.