clairvoyance (klɛəˈvɔɪəns) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| 1. | See also extrasensory perception the alleged power of perceiving things beyond the natural range of the senses |
| 2. | keen intuitive understanding |
| [C19: from French: clear-seeing, from clair clear, from Latin clārus + voyance, from voir to see, from Latin vidēre] | |
| any error, impropriety, or inconsistency. |
| an expert in the art of rhetoric. |
clairvoyance clair·voy·ance (klâr-voi'əns)
n.
The perception of objects or events that cannot be perceived by the senses.
clairvoyance
knowledge of information not necessarily known to any other person, not obtained by ordinary channels of perceiving or reasoning-thus a form of extrasensory perception (ESP). Spiritualists also use the term to mean seeing or hearing (clairaudience) the spirits of the dead that are said to surround the living. Research in parapsychology-such as testing a subject's ability to predict the order of cards in a shuffled deck-has yet to provide conclusive support for the existence of clairvoyance.
Learn more about clairvoyance with a free trial on Britannica.com.