Intellectual

[in-tl-ek-choo-uh l] /ˌɪn tlˈɛk tʃu əl/

adjective
1.
appealing to or engaging the :
intellectual pursuits.
2.
of or relating to the or its use:
intellectual powers.
3.
possessing or showing or mental capacity, especially to a high degree:
an intellectual person.
4.
guided or developed by or relying on the rather than upon emotions or feelings; rational.
5.
characterized by or suggesting a predominance of :
an intellectual way of speaking.
noun
6.
a person of superior intellect.
7.
a person who places a high value on or pursues things of interest to the intellect or the more complex forms and fields of knowledge, as aesthetic or philosophical matters, especially on an abstract and general level.
8.
an extremely rational person; a person who relies on intellect rather than on emotions or feelings.
9.
a person professionally engaged in mental labor, as a writer or teacher.
10.
intellectuals, Archaic.

/ˌɪntɪˈlɛktʃʊəl/
adjective
1.
of or relating to the intellect, as opposed to the emotions
2.
appealing to or characteristic of people with a developed intellect: intellectual literature
3.
expressing or enjoying mental activity
noun
4.
a person who enjoys mental activity and has highly developed tastes in art, literature, etc
5.
a person who uses or works with his intellect
6.
a highly intelligent person
adj.

late 14c., “grasped by the understanding” (rather than by the senses), from Old French intellectuel and directly from Latin intellectualis “relating to the understanding,” from intellectus “discernment, understanding,” from past participle stem of intelligere “to understand, discern” (see intelligence). Intellectual property attested from 1845. Other adjective formations included intellective (late 15c.), intellectile (1670s).
n.

1590s, “mind, intellect,” from intellectual (adj.); sense of “an intellectual person” is from 1650s. Related: Intellectuals.

A person who engages in academic study or critical evaluation of ideas and issues. (See intelligentsia.)