On this program , we talk about the stories of … words . Did you know I was going to say the word “words ”? If you did , you may be clairvoyant . Or you may have heard the show before . Or you simply read the name . Anyway -- today we will talk about the word clairvoyance ! By definition , clairvoyance is the ability to predict future events . If you are clairvoyant , you know about things that you did not actually see happen or hear about . Some clairvoyants even claim to be able to speak to the dead . Psychics , palm readers and fortune tellers all say they have this power . Some turn to a crystal ball for their information . Others read tea leaves or depend on tarot cards . The Etymology Online website reports that the word “clairvoyant ” comes from French and dates back to the 13th century . In the 1670s , “clairvoyant ” was used in English to mean “having insight .” In the late 1700s , it was used to mean a “clear-sighted person .” By the 1800s , English speakers used “clairvoyant ” to mean "having psychic gifts , characterized by powers of clairvoyance ." Today we have others words that mean about the same thing . One is sixth sense . Most people are born with five senses : hearing , sight , touch , smell and taste . We use our five senses to learn about and understand the world around us . So , people with a “sixth sense ” are believed to have an extra sense to perceive the world . This is called an extrasensory perception , or ESP , for short . ESP is a term we use to mean 'clairvoyance .' We sometimes call this special ability second sight . People use their eyes to see the world around them . But those with “second sight ” claim to see things that are not there or are yet to happen . Now , some people may not believe that clairvoyants are real . They might say such people are just really observant . Others may believe that this is all nonsense . It makes no sense at all . They say clairvoyance or psychic abilities are not based in science and , therefore , do not exist . Okay , now , listen to an exchange between two friends . One believes in clairvoyance ; the other … not so much . Where have you been ? I've been waiting for over an hour ! Yes , I'm angry ! I knew you would be . You kept me waiting ! It doesn't take a psychic to know that I'm angry ! Funny you should say that . I'm late because my clairvoyance class ran late . I knew you were going to ask that . I'm taking a clairvoyance class to improve my sixth sense . Are you joking ? Sometimes I don't know when you're fooling around . Naturally , you don't know . You're not clairvoyant . But I am and I knew you that would doubt my psychic ability . I doubt your psychic ability because it doesn't exist . There's no such thing as second sight or psychics or clairvoyants . Not everyone has the gift . So many people , like you , fear our special powers . My teacher Clair warned me about that . Strange , isn't it . Or is it ? She knew when she was a little girl that she had extrasensory perception . So she became a clairvoyant ! More like abnormal , if you ask me . Go ahead and make fun . But since taking this class , my second sight has really improved . Now , I know what's going to happen before it actually does . Take today , for example . I would have been much later . But I knew traffic would be terrible . So , I took a back road to get here . It's a work day at rush hour ! I have to get out of here . I knew you were going to say that ! Do you believe in clairvoyance ? Have you ever felt you had a sixth sense or second sight ability ? Or are you a non-believer in ESP ?