# Noetic --- # # Definition From [Merriam Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noetic): > *of, relating to, or based on the intellect* > — > *Noetic* derives from the Greek adjective *noētikos*, meaning "intellectual," from the verb *noein* ("to think") and ultimately from the noun *nous*, meaning "mind." (*Nous* also gave English the word *paranoia* by joining with a prefix meaning "faulty" or "abnormal.") *Noetic* is related to *noesis*, a rare noun that turns up in the field of philosophy and refers to the action of perceiving or thinking. The most notable use of *noetic* might be in the name of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, a research organization based in California that is devoted to studies of consciousness and the mind.