A label that helps people to communicate.
I was having this discussion on Facebook (God help the soles of my feet) about the word "sentience".
It's interesting because sentience can mean different things.
a sentient quality or state; feeling or sensation as distinguished from perception and thought… See the full definition
www.merriam-webster.com
"feeling or sensation as distinguished from perception and thought"
The world's leading online dictionary: English definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more. A trusted authority for 25+ years!
www.lexico.com
"Able to perceive or feel things."
Sentience definition: the state or quality of being sentient ; awareness | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples
www.collinsdictionary.com
"the state or quality of being sentient; awareness"
So for some people it's the ability to feel.
For others it's the the awareness, the "I", the feeling that I am alive.
When we communicate we use labels. Problem is people use labels differently. Dictionaries can't make up their mind what a label means.
English, unlike German and Spanish, doesn't have a centralized body for determining spelling, language, grammar etc.
What a label means is determined by two people having a conversation and communicating.
It's not dictated by any government body.