Sentence:  It was a word he was proud of , a word that meant much to him , and he used it with great pleasure , almost as if it were an exclusive possession , and more : he <WSD>sensed</WSD> himself to be very highly educated , four cuts above any of the folks back home . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  perceive by a physical sensation, e.g., coming from the skin or muscles