Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An intelligent being; a being with a base reasoning capacity roughly equivalent to or greater than that of a human being. The word does not apply to machines unless they have true artificial intelligence, rather than mere processing capacity.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

First used in the 1966 works by Poul Anderson, coined by his wife Karen Anderson. See σοφός.

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Examples

  • For my part, as an erstwhile sophont, I don't think I have ever seen so many new words, none of which I shall ever again have cause to employ.

    On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with... 2009

  • Some invisible, intangible, undetectable sophont crafted this single functional ecosystem for some unknown purpose.

    On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with... 2009

  • Chief among the questions we recieve here are regarding the equality of sophont species and female humans within the ranks of the Imperial Navy and Government.

    It's Christmas On Hoth 2005

  • She's a bundle of sophont silk riding in a girl's body.

    Asimov's Science Fiction 2004

  • They had the background on the colony's founders, and the data on what sort of mind you could expect to result from extreme abuse of sophont silk.

    Asimov's Science Fiction 2004

  • That cute little American cheerleader's body was just a walking feeder culture for sophont silk.

    Asimov's Science Fiction 2004

  • I mean, a little sophont silk here and there is all well and good, but eeeeewww!

    Asimov's Science Fiction 2004

  • I had a device in my space suit that could map the quantum storage bits in the sophont silk in her skull without a trace.

    Asimov's Science Fiction 2004

  • "Can they not tell the difference between a sophont and a machine?"

    Phule me twice Asprin, Robert 2001

  • Better to take a roundabout approach and lure the loafing sophont into complacency.

    Phule me twice Asprin, Robert 2001

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