Category:Understand

Un`der*stand", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Understood, and archaic Understanded; p. pr. & vb. n. Understanding.] Etym: [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.

Understand 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.