'sentient' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'sentiens', the present participle of 'sentire', where the root 'sent-' meant 'to feel'.

'sentient' came into English via Late Latin 'sentiens' and Old/Middle French forms (e.g. 'sentient'), eventually entering modern English with the sense 'feeling' and 'conscious'.

Initially it meant 'feeling' or 'perceiving'; over time it broadened to refer to having sensory awareness or subjective consciousness ('capable of feeling or perception').