sentience in WordNet English dictionary

1. state of elementary or undifferentiated consciousness
   "the crash intruded on his awareness"
   awareness  sentience 
   
2. the faculty through which the external world is apprehended
   "in the dark he had to depend on touch and on his senses of smell and hearing"
   sense  sensation  sentience  sentiency  sensory faculty 
   
3. the readiness to perceive sensations; elementary or undifferentiated consciousness
   "gave sentience to slugs and newts"- Richard Eberhart
   sentience