Meaning of UNDERSTAND
| Pronunciation: | | `undur'stand
|
 WordNet Dictionary |
| |
| | Definition: | |
- [v] know and comprehend the nature or meaning of; "She did not understand her husband"; "I understand what she means"
- [v] perceive mentally, as of an idea; "Now I see!"; "I just can't see your point"; "Does she realize how important this decision is?"; "I don't understand the idea"
- [v] believe to be the case; "I understand you have no previous experience?"
- [v] make sense of a language; "She understands French"; "Can you read Greek?"
- [v] be understanding of; "You don't need to explain--I understand!"
|
| |
| | Sponsored Links: | |
|
| |
| | Synonyms: | | empathise, empathize, gather, infer, realise, realize, sympathise, sympathize |
| |
| | See Also: | | appreciate, apprehend, believe, bottom, catch, compass, comprehend, construe, dig, fathom, figure out, follow, get, get the picture, grasp, interpret, lick, make out, penetrate, perceive, puzzle out, read, savvy, see, sense, solve, take account, touch, translate, understand, work, work out | |
| Webster's 1913 Dictionary |
| |
| | Definition: | |
\Un`der*stand"\ ([u^]n`d[~e]r*st[a^]nd"), v. t. [imp.
& p. p. {Understood}, and Archaic {Understanded}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Understanding}.] [OE. understanden, AS. understandan,
literally, to stand under; cf. AS. forstandan to understand,
G. verstehen. The development of sense is not clear. See
{Under}, and {Stand}.]
1. To have just and adequate ideas of; to apprehended the
meaning or intention of; to have knowledge of; to
comprehend; to know; as, to understand a problem in
Euclid; to understand a proposition or a declaration; the
court understands the advocate or his argument; to
understand the sacred oracles; to understand a nod or a
wink.
Speaketh [i. e., speak thou] so plain at this time, I you
pray, That we may understande what ye say. --Chaucer.
I understand not what you mean by this. --Shak.
Understood not all was but a show. --Milton.
A tongue not understanded of the people. --Bk. of Com.
Prayer.
2. To be apprised, or have information, of; to learn; to be
informed of; to hear; as, I understand that Congress has
passed the bill.
3. To recognize or hold as being or signifying; to suppose to
mean; to interpret; to explain.
The most learned interpreters understood the words
of sin, and not of Abel. --Locke.
4. To mean without expressing; to imply tacitly; to take for
granted; to assume.
War, then, war, Open or understood, must be
resolved. --Milton.
5. To stand under; to support. [Jocose & R.] --Shak.
{To give one to understand}, to cause one to know.
{To make one's self understood}, to make one's meaning clear.
\Un`der*stand"\, v. i.
1. To have the use of the intellectual faculties; to be an
intelligent being.
Imparadised in you, in whom alone I understand, and
grow, and see. --Donne.
2. To be informed; to have or receive knowledge.
I came to Jerusalem, and understood of the evil that
Eliashib did for Tobiah. --Neh. xiii.
7.
|
| |
|
|