Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Intellect |
IntellectNoun1. Knowledge and intellectual ability; "he reads to improve his mind"; "he has a keen intellect". 2. The capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination; "we are told that man is endowed with reason and capable of distinguishing good from evil". 3. A person who uses the mind creatively. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "intellect" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1258. (references) |
Etymology: Intellect \In"tel*lect\, noun. [Latin expression intellectus, from intelligere, intellectum, to understand: compare to intellect. See Intelligent.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Computing | INTELLECT |
Literature | Intellect The power of reading mentally; hence the power of understanding and quickly grasping what requires intelligence and thought. (Latin, intus lego, I read within me.). Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Intelligence is a general mental capability that involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend ideas and language, and learn. While the definition and importance of intelligence is an issue of some controversy, especially in the popular press, a consensus opinion exists among intelligence researchers on many issues. When considering animal intelligence, a more general definition of intelligence might be applied: the "ability to adapt effectively to the environment, either by making a change in oneself or by changing the environment or finding a new one" (Encyclopædia Britannica). Intelligence tests are often used to quantify human intelligence. This is not without controversy; see below for more information.
Some thinkers have explored the idea of collective intelligence, arising from the coordination of many people. Computer science has developed the field of artificial intelligence, which seeks to make computers act in increasingly intelligent ways. Many people have also speculated about the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence.
Intelligence tests
Intelligence, narrowly defined, can be measured by intelligence tests (see IQ). They are among the most accurate (reliable and valid) psychological tests, but they are not intended to measure creativity, personality, character, or wisdom. Intelligence tests take many forms, but they all measure the same intelligence. The general factor measured by each intelligence test is known as g (see g theory).
Some researchers have proposed that intelligence is not a single quantity or concept, but really consists of a set of relatively independent abilities. Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, for example, breaks intelligence down into the seven different components: logical, linguistic, spatial, musical, kinesthetic, intra-personal and inter-personal intelligences. Daniel Goleman and several other researchers have developed the concept of emotional intelligence and claim it is at least as important as more traditional sorts of intelligence.
Proponents of multiple-intelligence theories often claim that g is, at best, a measure of academic ability. Other types of intelligence, they claim, might be just as important outside of a school setting.
In response, g theorists have argued that multiple intelligences have not been borne out when actually tested[1] and that g actually has a substantial impact on personal affairs, including job performance[2].
Controversies
Researchers in the field of human intelligence have encountered a considerable amount of public concern and criticism; much more than many scientists would be accustomed to or comfortable with. Some of the controversial topics include:
- the relevance of psychometric intelligence to the common sense understanding of the topic
- the importance of intelligence in everyday life
- the genetic and environmental contributions to individual variation in intelligence (see Nature versus nurture).
- differences in average measured intelligence between racial groups and sexes; and the source and meaning of these differences (see Race and intelligence).
References
[1] Hunt, E. (2001). Multiple views of multiple intelligence. [Review of Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligence in the 21st century.] Contemporary Psychology, 46, 5-7.
[2] Campbell, J. P. (1990). The role of theory in industrial and organizational psychology. In M. D. Dunnette & L.M Hough (Eds.). Handbook of industrial-organizational psychology 2nd ed.), Vol. 1 (pp. 39-74). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
External Links
Intelligence is also used in a different sense, to describe the process of covertly gathering and analysing otherwise secret information. See espionage, intelligence agencies.
In yet another sense, Business intelligence denotes the public or secret information that an organization obtains about its competitors and market.
Military intelligence is an element of warfare which covers the aspects of gaining information over the enemy forces. It involves spying, look-outs, high-tech survaillance equipement and also secret agents.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Intelligence."
Synonyms: IntellectSynonyms: intellectual (n), mind (n), reason (n), understanding (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Absence or want of Intellect | Noun: absence of intellect, want of intellect; imbecility; brutality, brute force. |
Curiosity | Omnivorous intellect, devouring mind. |
Imbecility Folly | Noun: want of -intelligence; want of -intellect; shadowness, silliness, foolishness; Adjective: imbecility, incapacity, vacancy of mind, poverty of intellect, weakness of intellect, clouded perception, poor head, apartments to let; stupidity, stolidity; hebetude, dull understanding, meanest capacity, shortsightedness; incompetence; (unskillfulness). |
Improvement | Noun: improvement; amelioration, melioration; betterment; mend, amendment, emendation; mending; Verb: advancement; advance; (progress); ascent; promotion, preferment; elevation; increase; cultivation, civilization; culture, march of intellect; menticulture; race-culture, eugenics. |
Insanity | Noun: disordered reason, disordered intellect; diseased mind, unsound mind, abnormal mind; derangement, unsoundness; psychosis; neurosis; cognitive disorder; affective disorder. |
Intellect | Noun: intellect, mind, understanding, reason, thinking principle; rationality; cogitative faculties, cognitive faculties, discursive faculties, reasoning faculties, intellectual faculties; faculties, senses, consciousness, observation, percipience, intelligence, intellection, intuition, association of ideas, instinct, conception, judgment, wits, parts, capacity, intellectuality, genius; brains, cognitive powers, intellectual powers; wit; ability; (skill); wisdom; Vernunft, Verstand. |
Intelligence Wisdom | Noun: intelligence, capacity, comprehension, understanding; cuteness, sabe , savvy ; intellect; nous, parts, sagacity, mother wit, wit, esprit, gumption, quick parts, grasp of intellect; acuteness; Adjective: acumen, subtlety, penetration, perspicacy, perspicacity; discernment, due sense of, good judgment; discrimination; cunning; refinement; (taste). |
Intrinsicality | Phrase: " character is higher than intellect "; "come give us a taste of your quality " magnos homines virtute metimur non fortuna; non numero haec judicantur sed pondere; " vital spark of heavenly flame ". |
Knowledge | March of intellect; progress of science, advance of science, advance of learning; schoolmaster abroad. |
Thought | Noun: thought; exercitation of the intellect, exercise of the intellect; intellection; reflection, cogitation, consideration, meditation, study, lucubration, speculation, deliberation, pondering; head work, brain work; cerebration; deep reflection; close study, application; (attention). |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Intellect |
| English words defined with "intellect": animal nature, animality ♦ Crack-brained, Crazedness, Culpa ♦ dazzle, discernable, discernible, dotard, Duncify ♦ Gymnastical ♦ incisiveness, Indocible, Indocility, Intellected, Intellective, intellectual, Intellectuality, Intellectualize, Intelligence office ♦ Mad, Monopsychism ♦ Noetical ♦ prehensile ♦ rational, Ruridecanal ♦ searching, shallow, Shallow-brained, Shatter-pated, Short-wited, Soft-headed, Superintellectual ♦ trenchancy, trenchant ♦ Underwitted ♦ Wowf. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "intellect": All there, Anecdote ♦ Bailiff ♦ Learning Disorders ♦ rascality ♦ Stimulants of Great Men, Struldbrugs ♦ tool box. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "intellect": Wowf. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Intellect" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Dutch (intellect, mind), French (intellect, understanding). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Sorry about not ringing back, the whole two names concept was too much for my flatmate's pea-sized intellect. (Notting Hill; writing credit: Richard Curtis. Starring Julia Roberts as Anna Scott and Hugh Grant as William Thacker.) They wear their success and intellect for the world to see. But they are merely shields (Gideon; writing credit: Brad Mirman) A slavish concern for the composition of words is the sign of a bankrupt intellect. Be gone, odious wasp (The Phantom Tollbooth; writing credit: Chuck Jones; Norton Juster) In fighting with superior intellect, we have outsmarted ourselves (The Hellstrom Chronicle; writing credit: David Seltzer) Smart-looking face is not a sign of intellect. All the dumb things in the world are done with that facial expression (Tot samyj Myunkhgauzen; writing credit: Grigori Gorin) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
| ||
Music |
| ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit |  | The Body Politic on the March of Intellect, : To the Tune of Let us all be unhappy together. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Arthur Schopenhauer | Will minus intellect constitutes vulgarity. |
Averroes | Knowledge is the conformity of the object and the intellect. |
Baruch (Benedict de) Spinoza | Will and intellect are one and the same. |
Dante Alighieri | [Beatrice] who shall be a light between truth and intellect. |
Francois De La Rochefoucauld | The intellect is always fooled by the heart. |
Jean de La BruyFre | Jesting is often only indigence of intellect. |
John Kenneth Galbraith | We all agree that pessimism is a mark of superior intellect. |
Menander | Health and intellect are the two blessings of life. |
Ralph Waldo Emerson | Intellect annuls fate. So far as man thinks, he is free. |
| If a man's eye is on the Eternal, his intellect will grow. | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Scarlet Letter | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | Wherever there is a heart and an intellect, the diseases of the physical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | When the intellect awoke and saw this act of the brute, Jean Valjean recoiled in anguish and uttered a cry of horror |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | The first step in the direction of truth is to understand the frame and scope of the intellect itself, to comprehend the act itself of intellection |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Pick's disease is a form of dementia characterized by a slowly progressive deterioration of social skills and changes in personality, along with impairment of intellect, memory, and language. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | RASCALITY, n. Stupidity militant. The activity of a clouded intellect. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Rush Limbaugh | Keep in mind that we're told that one guy is smarter than the rest of the room, and that we were fortunate just to have had somebody with this intellect leading us. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
John F. Kennedy | 1961-1963 | Our goal is a free and prosperous Latin America, realizing for all its states and all its citizens a degree of economic and social progress that matches their historic contributions of culture, intellect and liberty. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | The hard evidence of totalitarian rule has caused in mankind an uprising of the intellect and will. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Intellect" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 96.43% of the time. "Intellect" is used about 364 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 96.43% | 351 | 15,240 |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 1.92% | 7 | 133,076 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 1.65% | 6 | 143,867 |
| Total | 100.00% | 364 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "intellect": dulling of the intellect ♦ man of ordinary intellect ♦ omnivorous intellect. Additional references. | |
| Hypenated Usage | |
Ending with "intellect": pure-intellect. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "intellect"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | gees (fairy, ghost, mind, phantom, soul, spirit). (various references) | |
Albanian | intelekt (brains, head, headpiece, intelligence, mind, nous), mendje (brain, head, mentality, mind, reason, sense, wit). (various references) | |
Arabic | فطنة (acuity, acumen, acuteness, astuteness, discernment, insight, keenness, perspicacity, sagacity, shrewdness, wit), نباهة (celebrity, eminence, shrewdness, smartness), عقل (brains, intelligence, layer, mentality, mind, pate, picket, psyche, reason, sense, skull, steady, wit), ذكاء (brain, brilliance, brilliancy, cleverness, cuteness, intelligence, mentality, mind, penetration, quickness, sagacity, savvy, shrewdness, smartness, understanding, wit), الفكر, الحكمة. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | умствени способности (ability, apprehension, grey matter), ум (brain, head, headpiece, intelligence, mentality, mind, nous, pericranium, wit), интелект (intelligence, mentality, mind, nous). (various references) | |
Chinese | 智力 (intelligence). (various references) | |
Czech | inteligence (head, understanding), intelekt (mind), schopnost (ability, aptitude, capability, efficiency, faculty, hand, power, skill, talent, vocation), mozek (brain, cerebrum, head). (various references) | |
Danish | fornuft (logical reasoning, mind, reason). (various references) | |
Dutch | verstand (knowledge, logical reasoning, mind, notion, realization, reason, sense, understanding), intellect (mind), geest (fairy, ghost, mind, phantom, soul, spirit). (various references) | |
Esperanto | intelekto (mind). (various references) | |
Farsi | فهم (Brain, Grasp, Head, Intelligence, Mind, Savvy, Understanding, Uptake), هوش (Brain, Esprit, Intelligence, Sagacity, Sense, Understanding, Wit, Witting), قوه درک , سابقه (Acquaintance, Antecedent, Background, History, Precedence, Prehistory, Record, Scape, Shaft), عقل (Reason, Sagacity, Tact, Wisdom), خرد (Inconsiderable, Little, Minuscule, Part, Petty, Reason, Retail, Tiny, Wisdom). (various references) | |
Finnish | ymmärrys (intelligence, reason, understanding). (various references) | |
French | intelligence (intelligence), intellect, esprit. (various references) | |
German | Intellekt (mind, understanding), Verstand (brain, head, intelligence, judgment, meaning, mind, reason, sanities, sanity, savvied, sense, senses, understanded, understanding, wit), Geist (esprit, ghost, mettle, mind, phantom, psyche, specter, spirit, wit). (various references) | |
Greek | νουσ (mind, nous, sense, wit), νοημοσύνη (intelligence), διάνοια (mentality, mind). (various references) | |
Hebrew | שכל (brains, grey matter, insight, intelligence, mind, reason, savvy, sense, wisdom, wit), בי " (comprehension, insight, prudence, understanding, wisdom). (various references) | |
Hungarian | ész (brain, five wits, head, mind, nous, reason, savvy, senses, wit). (various references) | |
Indonesian | orang pandai, akal (cunning, intelligence, mind, tactics, trickiness). (various references) | |
Italian | intelletto (nous, reason, understanding). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 脳 (brains, head), 脳 (brains, head), 知情意 (emotion and volition), 理知 , 睿智 (intelligence, wisdom), 智慧 (wisdom), 叡智 (intelligence, wisdom). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | ずのう (brains, head), りち, ちじょうい (emotion and volition), ちえ (advice, intelligence, sagacity, sense, wisdom, wit), えいち (intelligence, wisdom). (various references) | |
Korean | 지 (brainpower). (various references) | |
Manx | toiggaltys (acuity, understanding), tastid (acuteness, acuteness of mind, attention, attentiveness, discernment, penetration, perception, sagacity), keeal, inchynaght (intelligence), inchyn (brain, grey matter, spirit). (various references) | |
Norwegian | forstand. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | intellectay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | inteligência (adroitness, aptness, brains, cleverness, intelligence, mind, sagacity, sense, smartness, solidity, understanding, uptake, wit), intelecto (brain, headpiece, mind, nous, understanding). (various references) | |
Romanian | inteligenţã (brain, brain-sauce, cleverness, comprehension, cuteness, ingenuity, intelligence, light, smartness, understanding, wit), intelect (head, mentality, mind, nous, spirit, understanding), spirit (apparition, crack, essence, genius, ghost, mind, quirk, score, shade, shadow, soul, spectre, spirit, spirituousness, sprite, vision, wit), raţiune (ground, intelligence, lucidity, mind, motive, ratio, rationality, reason, sense, understanding, wit), minte (brain, imagination, judgment, mind, nous, pate, reason, savvy, sense, spirit, thinking, wisdom, wit, wits), capete luminate. (various references) | |
Russian | ум (cuteness, grey matter, head, mentality, mind, minds, pericranium, wit), интеллект интеллектуальный, интеллект (mentality, mind, nous, reason). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | intelekt, um (mind, nous, wit), razum (nous, reason, sapience, wit), pamet (brain, cleverness, head, mind). (various references) | |
Spanish | intelecto (ability to think, faculty of thought). (various references) | |
Swedish | förstånd (brains, comprehension, intelligence, judiciousness, lights, reason, sense, understanding). (various references) | |
Thai | ผู้รอบรู้ (Renaissance man, swami), สติปัญญา (brain, esprit, mind), ปัญญา. (various references) | |
Turkish | idrak kabiliyeti, zihin gücü, zeki kimse (brain, wit), akıllı kimse (egghead, intelligence), akıl (advice, bean, brain, chump, comprehension, consciousness, gray matter, grey matter, head, headpiece, intelligence, loaf, memory, mental, mind, nous, prudence, psyche, reason, sapience, senses, strength of mind, wisdom, wit). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | інтелект (brain, intellection, intelligence, mind, nous). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | trí tuệ (light, mind, wit), trí năng sự hiểu biết người hiểu biết, người t i trí, khả năng lập luận, khả năng hiểu biết. (various references) | |
Welsh | deall (intelligence, realize, understand, understanding). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | animus, intellectus, intellegentia, intellegentiae, intellegentiam, intellegentias, mens, mens mentis, mente, mentem, mentes, mentibus, mentis, mentium, mentum. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "intellect": intellection, intellections, intellective, intellectively, intellects, intellectual, intellectualism, intellectualisms, intellectualist, intellectualistic, intellectualists, intellectualities, intellectuality, intellectualization, intellectualizations, intellectualize, intellectualized, intellectualizer, intellectualizers, intellectualizes, intellectualizing, intellectually, intellectualness, intellectualnesses, intellectuals. (additional references) | |
Words containing "intellect": hyperintellectual, nonintellectual, nonintellectuals, overintellectualization, overintellectualizations, overintellectualize, overintellectualized, overintellectualizes, overintellectualizing, superintellectual, superintellectuals, unintellectual. (additional references) | |
| |
"Intellect" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: intelect, intellct, intelletto, intelli, intellos, interlect. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "intellect" (pronounced i"ntule'kt or i"nule'kt) |
| 5 | -u l e' k t | dialect. |
| 3 | -e' k t | aftereffect, architect, aspect, circumspect, henpecked, insect, introspect, prefect, retrospect, transect. |
| 5 | -u l e' k t | dialect. |
| 3 | -e' k t | aftereffect, architect, aspect, circumspect, henpecked, insect, introspect, prefect, retrospect, transect. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "c-e-e-i-l-l-n-t-t" | |
-1 letter: lenticel. | |
-2 letters: centile, entitle, licente. | |
-3 letters: client, entice, lectin, lentic, lentil, lintel, litten, little, nellie, nettle, telnet, tentie. | |
-4 letters: celli, cline, elect, elint, elite, inlet, niece, telic, tenet, tinct, title. | |
-5 letters: ceil, cell, celt, cent, cete, cine, cite, clit, etic, leet, lent, lice, lien, lilt, line, lint, lite, nett, nice, nill, nite, teel, teen, tele. | |
| Words containing the letters "c-e-e-i-l-l-n-t-t" | |
+1 letter: intellects, littleneck. | |
+2 letters: littlenecks. | |
+3 letters: intellection, intellective, intellectual. | |
+4 letters: anticellulite, centripetally, intellections, intellectuals, intermetallic, multinucleate. | |
+5 letters: anesthetically, electroplating, intellectively, intellectually, interdialectal, intermetallics, multinucleated, scintillometer, unintellectual. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Quotations: Familiar 8. Quotations: Fiction | 9. Quotations: Non-fiction 10. Quotations: Spoken 11. Quotations: Speeches 12. Usage Frequency | 13. Expressions 14. Expressions: Internet 15. Translations: Modern 16. Translations: Ancient | 17. Derivations 18. Rhymes 19. Anagrams 20. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
