Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - sensation

 noun  Etymology: Medieval Latin ~-, sensatio, from Late Latin, understanding, idea, from Latin sensus  Date: 1615  1.  a. a mental process (as seeing, hearing, or smelling) resulting from the immediate external stimulation of a sense organ often as distinguished from a conscious awareness of the sensory process — compare perception  b. awareness (as of heat or pain) due to stimulation of a sense organ  c. a state of consciousness due to internal bodily changes a ~ of hunger  d. an indefinite bodily feeling a ~ of buoyancy  2. something (as a physical stimulus, sense-datum, or afterimage) that causes or is the object of ~  3.  a. a state of excited interest or feeling their elopement caused a ~  b. a cause of such excitement the show was the musical ~ of the season; especially one (as a person) in some respect exceptional or outstanding the rookie hitting ~ of the American League