Definition of "intellect" []

• The ability to learn and reason; the capacity for knowledge and understanding. (noun)
• The ability to think abstractly or profoundly. See Synonyms at mind. (noun)
• A person of great intellectual ability. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The knowledge of first principles is attained by the _intuition of pure intellect_ (νοῦς) -- that is, "_intellect itself is the principle of science_" or, in other words, intellect is the _efficient, essential cause_ of the knowledge of first principles."
• "I'm very much the beneficiary of his deeply insightful, eloquently argued ideas; the privilege of sharpening my ideas on the whetstone of his intellect is a rare one, and I'm delighted to share that opportunity with Boing Boing's readers ..."
• "But some times, in moments of inspiration, the pressure of one's will relents, and the intellect is able to consider the object as it is in itself, independently of one's goals, desires, and interests."