sensation
sen-SAY-shuhn
/senˈseɪ.ʃən/
A physical feeling or response resulting from sensory stimulation.
Refers to raw, unfiltered neural input before cognitive interpretation occurs.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'sentire', meaning to feel or perceive physically. In early empiricist theories, sensation represents the fundamental raw material fed into the human mind.
Word relationships
- feeling: Feeling can denote emotional state, whereas sensation strictly denotes physical sensory nerve input.
Commonly confused with
- perception: Sensation is initial raw nerve input, whereas perception is how the brain organizes and interprets that input.
Word family
- sensory (adjective): Relating to physical sensation or the senses.
- sensual (adjective): Relating to physical or bodily senses.
Collocations
- raw sensation
- bodily sensation
- sensation of heat
Example sentences
- "Locke argued that sensation brings external signals like warmth and redness into the human mind." Early Psychology
Memory hook
SENSation comes directly from your physical SENSES. Raw physical signal.
When not to use
Do not use to describe purely abstract, non-physical logical deductions.
Fun facts
- Early empiricists argued that complex concepts like 'apple' are assembled in the mind by combining distinct individual sensations of sweetness, redness, and roundness.
Related words
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