Etymology

intelligence

in·tel·li·gence
I1N1T1E1L1L1I1G2E1N1C3E1

Today it means: The capacity of mind, especially to understand principles, truths, facts or meanings, acquire knowledge, and apply it to practice; the ability to comprehend and learn; the ability to process sentient experience to generate true beliefs with a justified degree of confidence. Full definition →

Middle English intelligence ← Old French intelligence ← Latin intellegentia
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁n̥tér
  3. Proto-Italic*n̥ter
  4. Latininter
  5. Latininter-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*leǵ-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*léǵeti
  8. Proto-Italic*legō
  9. Latinlegō?
  10. Proto-Indo-European*h₂leg-
  11. Proto-Indo-European*h₂légeti
  12. Proto-Italic*legō?
  13. Latinintellegō
  14. Latinintellegēns
  15. Latinintellegentia
  16. Old Frenchintelligence
  17. Middle Englishintelligence
  18. English todayintelligence

From Middle English intelligence, from Old French intelligence, from Latin intelligentia, which is most likely from inter- (“between”) + legere (“to choose, pick out, read”). Doublet of intelligentsia.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.