percipere

Percipere is a Latin verb meaning to perceive, notice, or become aware of; it also covers the senses of understanding, apprehending, or gaining knowledge through observation. In broader use, it can denote experiencing or undergoing something, as in becoming aware of a fact or situation. The word belongs to the Latin class of -io verbs and is active and transitive in meaning.

Etymology and range of meaning

The form is from per- “through” plus capere “to seize or take,” giving the sense of taking in information through perception. In classical Latin, percipere covers both sensory perception (what is seen, heard, felt) and figurative understanding (to grasp a concept, to realize something).

Grammar and usage

Percipere is a regular -io verb. Its principal parts are percipio, percipere, percepi, perceptum. The verb forms like present active indicative are percipio, percipis, percipit, percipimus, percipitis, percipiunt; imperfect is percipiebam, percipiebas, percipiebat, etc.; future active is percipiam, percipies, percipiet, percipiemus, percipietis, percipient; perfect is percepi, percepisti, percepit, percepimus, percepistis, perceperunt. The present passive is percipior, perciperis, percipitur, percipimur, percipimini, percipiuntur, with the supine perceptum and the perfect passive participle perceptus (used with sum to form perfect passive). As a transitive verb, it takes a direct object in the accusative to denote what is perceived and can be extended with infinitives or clauses to express perceived content or realization.

Related forms and impact

The participle perceptus and related noun perceptio give rise to English derivatives such as percept, perception, and perceptive. Percipere is frequently cited in Latin dictionaries and grammars for illustrating perception and cognition in classical texts.

See also

Percept, perception, perceptive; Latin verbs and the -io conjugation.