Intuition
Etymology
From Latin "intueri" (to look at, gaze upon, consider) — "in-" (at, upon) plus "tueri" (to look, watch over), the same root that gives tutor and tuition. Intuition is literally an inward looking, a seeing rather than a working-out.
noun · /in-too-ISH-un/
Knowing or sensing something directly, without conscious reasoning through steps.
What it names
A handle for the fast, wordless judgment that arrives before you can explain it — often compressed expertise, sometimes just bias.
Example
Her intuition said the deal was off before she could point to a single red flag.
Related idea
Distinguish it from instinct: instinct is innate and universal to a species (a newborn’s grasp); intuition is learned pattern-recognition that has sunk below awareness. An expert’s intuition is earned; a novice’s is a guess wearing confidence.