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somatic sense

somatic sense

8.6
The ability to feel touch, pain, temperature, body position, and internal organs
  • noun
  • /səˈmætɪk sɛns/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sentido somático
  • The somatic sense allows us to perceive touch, pressure, pain, and temperature.

Examples

  • Proprioception is a component of the somatic sense responsible for body position awareness.

  • Damage to certain nerves can impair a person's somatic sense.

  • The somatic sense helps us feel temperature changes.

  • She relies on her somatic senses to navigate the world.

  • The somatic sense allows us to respond quickly to harmful stimuli, such as touching something hot.

  • Damage to certain nerves can lead to significant loss of somatic sense, affecting how we perceive pain.

  • Without a functioning somatic sense, people may struggle to recognize their body's position or movement.

Synonyms

sensibility
vssomatic sense
8 6.6

Ability to feel physical things like touch or pain

is limited to bodily sensation faculty rather than general sensory ability
somesthesis
vssomatic sense
  • Specialized
9.9

The feelings your body gets from skin, muscles, joints, and organs like touch, temperature, pain, and body position

is the general faculty for perceiving bodily sensations rather than a detailed list
somataesthesis
vssomatic sense
  • Specialized
9.9

To feel touch, know where your body parts are, and notice feelings inside your body

is the standard term for the same broad bodily perception faculty
somesthesia
vssomatic sense
  • Specialized
9.9

The sense of feeling touch, temperature, pain, and body position

refers to the overall faculty rather than individual listed sensations
somatesthesia
vssomatic sense
  • Specialized
9.9

The ability to feel touch, body position, and feelings inside the body

focuses on the faculty as a whole, not only the perceptual process
somatic sensation
vssomatic sense
  • Specialized
7.4

A feeling in your body that tells you about touch or where your arms and legs are

is the broader faculty allowing those specific perceptions to occur

How Sensitive

somatic sense
  • Specialized
8.6
numbness
19 4.6
anesthesia
  • Specialized
76 4.5

Surface Forms

somatic sense singular

Morphology

somatic + sense

The phrase combines 'somatic' (body-related) and 'sense' (a perceptual faculty), so the meaning 'faculty for perceiving bodily sensations' is directly derivable from the constituents. Although 'somatic' is somewhat technical, the compositional logic is clear and would be understandable to a learner who knows both words.

Etymology

The noun somatic sense comes from the Greek word somatic, from 'soma' meaning 'body', so think of it as a 'body' sense. So, somatic sense means the ability to feel things on and inside your body, like touch, pain, temperature, and knowing where your arms and legs are.