understand
/ˌʌndɚˈstænd/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.37 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To know the meaning of; to parse or have parsed correctly; to comprehend.
Intransitive verb; Transitive verb
verb
To know the meaning of; to parse or have parsed correctly; to comprehend.
Intransitive verb; Transitive verb
verb
To comprehend a fact or principle; to regard or come to regard a belief as such.
Transitive verb
verb
To know the intent, motives or character of; (of events) to know the causes of or reasons for.
Transitive verb
verb
To believe or infer, to think one grasps sufficiently despite potentially incomplete knowledge.
Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "Can you repeat what you just said? I didn't understand."
- "Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well."
- "In reading this book, be very certain you never go past a word you do not fully understand."
- "Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths."
- "With his legal maneuverings, Trump is showing that he also understands the implications of this election — one that could give him substantial powers as president to defray or dismiss many of the legal threats that he’s facing and to behave in office without future accountability."
- "‘[…] I came back here, had a wank and finished that book.’ ‘The Naked Lunch?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘What did you reckon?’ ‘Crap.’ ‘You’re just saying that because you didn’t understand it,’ said Adrian. ‘I’m just saying that because I did understand it,’ said Tom. ‘Any road up, we’d better start making some toast.[…]’"
Etymology
From Middle English understanden, from Old English understandan (“to understand”), from Proto-West Germanic *understandan (“to stand between, understand”), from Proto-Germanic *understandaną (“to stand between, understand”), equivalent to Old English under- (“between, inter-”) + standan (“to stand”) (Modern English under- + stand). Cognate with Old Frisian understonda (“to understand, experience, learn”), Old High German understantan (“to understand”), Middle Danish understande (“to understand”). Compare also Saterland Frisian understunda, unnerstounde (“to dare, survey, measure”), Dutch onderstaan (“to undertake, presume”), German unterstehen (“to be subordinate”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: understanden, understandan, *understandan, *understandaną
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌʌndɚˈstænd/
- British English: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/
Usage
Inflected Forms
understands (present, singular)
understanding (participle, present)
understood (participle, past)
understood (past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
understood (first person, past)
understanded (archaic, first person)
understandest (archaic, present)
understood (past, second person)
understanded (archaic, past)
understoodest (archaic, past)