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noumenon

noun/ˈnuːmɪnɒn/

C2CEFR level
93/100Rarity: very rare
TechnicalRegister

A thing as it exists in itself, independent of how it is perceived by the senses.

For Kant, the noumenon lies forever beyond our knowledge, since we grasp only appearances.

Similar: thing-in-itself, essence

Origin: Greek 'nooumenon', that which is thought, from 'noein' to think.

Topic: metaphysics in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More general words: metaphysics