Where does “sapient” come from?

Sapient comes from Old French sapient, from Latin sapiens meaning "wise," derived from Latin sapio meaning "to taste or discern," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sep-.

sapient (English): Attempting to appear wise or discerning;...

Definitions

  1. Attempting to appear wise or discerning;...

Ancestry of “sapient”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchsapientwise; sapient
2Latinsapiēnsdiscerning, wise, judicious
3Latinsapiōto be wise, or sensible, discreet, prudent
4Proto-Indo-Europeansap-skill; to taste; to try; to research

Words derived from “sapient”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sap- →