perspicacious

/ˌpɜː.spɪˈkeɪ.ʃəs/

Etymology

First attested 1548, from Late Latin perspicācitās (“discernment”), from Latin perspicax (“sharp-sighted”), from perspiciō (“look through”), from per- (“through”) + speciō (“look at”). See also perspective.

perspicacious means of acute discernment; having keen insight; mentally perceptive. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 74 out of 100.

Why this word is great

PERSPICACIOUS — [Adjective] Having a keen mental perception and understanding; showing acute discernment or insight. From the Latin perspicax, perspicacis ("sharp-sighted"), from perspicere ("to look through, discern"), itself from per- ("through") + specere ("to look at"). Unlike 'astute,' which carries a whiff of shrewd practicality, or 'observant,' which may note the surface detail but not the structure beneath, 'perspicacious' speaks to a clarity of intellect that pierces through obfuscation to the underlying truth. It is the radiologist who sees the precise, lethal geometry in a gray smudge on a scan; the mentor who perceives nascent genius in a student's clumsy first attempt; the listener who hears the unvoiced sorrow beneath a cheerful anecdote. It is intelligence as a blade of light, cutting through fog to illuminate what was always there.

adj

Of acute discernment; having keen insight; mentally perceptive.“As a gay prisoner my incarceration has given me a perspicacious view of our judicial system.”
Able to physically see clearly; quick-sighted; sharp-sighted.