noesis

See also: noêsis, noësis, and noēsis

English

WOTD – 20 February 2006

Alternative forms

• noêsis, noësis, noēsis

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek νόησις (nóēsis, “concept”, “idea”, “intelligence”, “understanding”), from νοεῖν (noeîn, “to intend”, “to perceive”, “to see”, “to understand”) (from νοῦς (noûs, “mind”, “thought”), from νόος (nóos)) + -σις (-sis), suffix forming nouns of action.^[1]

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: nō.ēʹsĭs, IPA^(key): /nəʊˈiːsɪs/
• (General American) enPR: nō.ēʹsĭs, IPA^(key): /noʊˈisɪs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

noesis (countable and uncountable, plural noeses)

1. (psychology) Cognition, the functioning of intellect.
2. (Greek philosophy) The exercise of reason.
3. (metaphysics) The consciousness component of noetics, which concerns the duality of noesis and noema.
   • 2003, Denis Fisette, Husserl's Logical Investigations Reconsidered:

     Husserl calls the noesis the meaning-giving element of the act, and the noema he calls the meaning given in the act."

Related terms

• anoesis
• noema
• noetic
• see: nous

References

1. “noesis, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Anagrams

• Enosis, eosins, essoin, neosis, noises, nosies, onsies, ossein, sonsie