Category:Comprehension

Com`pre*hen"sion, n. Etym: [L. comprehensio: cf. F. compréhension.]

1. The act of comprehending, containing, or comprising; inclusion. In the Old Testament there is a close comprehension of the New; in the New, an open discovery of the Old. Hooker.

2. That which is comrehended or inclosed within narrow limits; a summary; an epitome. [Obs.] Though not a catalogue of fundamentals, yet. . . a comprehension of them. Chillingworth.

3. The capacity of the mind to perceive and understand; the power, act, or process of grasping with the intellect; perception; understanding; as, a comprehension of abstract principles.

4. (Logic)

Defn: The complement of attributes which make up the notion signified by a general term.

5. (Rhet.)

Defn: A figure by which the name of a whole is put for a part, or that of a part for a whole, or a definite number for an indefinite.