perception

n. 1 act or faculty of perceiving. 2 (often foll. By of) intuitive recognition of a truth, aesthetic quality, etc.; way of seeing, understanding.  perceptual adj.

n. The act of perceiving; cognizance by the senses or intellect; apperhension by the bodily organs, or by the mind, of what is presented to them; discernment; apperhension; cognition.