sensibility

The story

1. German · calque ofSinnlichkeit“receptivity and devotion to what is experienced by the senses; desire for or openness to eroticism, sensuality”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*sent-“to perceive; to think”
3. Latin · derived fromsēnsibilis“detectable; perceptible, sensible”
4. Late Latin · derived fromsēnsibilitās“intelligence; perception, sensation; sensitiveness; meaning or sense of words”
5. Old French · derived fromsensibilité“characteristic or state of being capable of sensation”
6. Middle French · derived fromsensibilité
7. Middle English · inherited fromsensibilite“physical ability to sense or perceive; sensitivity to pain; type of perception by a sense organ; perception, understanding; image imprinted on the mind during perception; (philosophy) capacity of the soul to receive information from the senses, perceptibility; (in the plural) the senses”
8. English todaysensibility

From Late Middle English sensibilite (“physical ability to sense or perceive; sensitivity to pain; type of perception by a sense organ; perception, understanding; image imprinted on the mind during perception; (philosophy) capacity of the soul to receive information from the senses, perceptibility; (in the plural) the senses”), from Middle French sensibilité and Old French sensibilité (“characteristic or state of being capable of sensation”) (modern French sensibilité), and from their etymon Late Latin sēnsibilitās (“intelligence; perception, sensation; sensitiveness; meaning or sense of words”), from Latin sēnsibilis (“detectable; perceptible, sensible”) (from sentiō (“to perceive with the senses, feel, sense; to be aware or sensible of; etc.”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sent- (“to perceive; to think”)) + -bilis (suffix forming adjectives denoting a capacity or worth of being acted upon)) + -tās (suffix forming abstract nouns denoting states of being). By surface analysis, sensible + -ity (suffix forming nouns). Sense 6 (“in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant: emotion or feeling as opposed to the will”) is a use of the word as a calque of German Sinnlichkeit (“receptivity and devotion to what is experienced by the senses; desire for or openness to eroticism, sensuality”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 18th c. Emotions or feelings arising from or relating to aesthetic or moral standards, especially those which are sensitive and thus likely to be hurt or offended.
• from 15th c. The ability to feel, perceive, or sense; responsiveness to sensory stimuli; sensitivity; also, the degree to which someone or something (especially a sensory organ or tissue) is able to respond to sensory stimuli.
• from 17th c. Keen sensitivity to matters of creative expression or feeling; artistic or emotional awareness.
• from 17th c. Affected or excessive artistic or emotional awareness; the fact or quality of being overemotional; overemotionality.