intelligence
Definitions
The ability to learn, understand, and reason.
智力，智慧；理解和推理的能力。
Secret information collected about an enemy or rival; the organizations that gather it.
情报；情报机构。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedintel- (among) + lig (pick, choose) + -ence (quality) = the quality of picking out the right thing from among many. That single idea explains both meanings: a clever mind picks out the meaningful pattern, and military 'intelligence' is the work of gathering many facts and selecting the crucial ones.
Root lect still carries 128 more wordsWhy It Means This
How can one word mean both 'cleverness' and 'spy secrets'? The link is the root: intel- (among) + leg (pick). Both senses are about selecting what matters from a mass of information. A smart person picks the relevant thread out of confusion; an intelligence service picks the crucial facts out of mountains of data. Same gesture, two arenas.
Common Collocations
- 1.artificial intelligence人工智能
- 2.military intelligence军事情报
- 3.intelligence agency情报机构
- 4.emotional intelligence情商
Example Sentences
- 1.
Artificial intelligence is transforming how we work.
- 2.
The agency gathers intelligence on foreign threats.
- 3.
Tests can measure only certain kinds of intelligence.