فَالْحَوَاسُّ جَمْعُ حَاسَّةٍ بِمَعْنَى الْقُوَّةِ الْحَاسَّةِ
“Ḥawāss” is the plural of a faculty of sensing.
Five outward senses are distinguished according to their characteristic objects: hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch. Each has an appropriate field of perception.
Hearing — sounds.
Sight — light, colors, shapes and visible motion.
Smell — odors.
Taste — flavors.
Touch — heat, cold, texture and related qualities.
A sense should not be assumed to apprehend all the objects of another sense. The following discussion examines the traditional accounts of their organs, objects and operation.