understand

• understaund (obsolete)

From Middle English understanden, from Old English understandan (“to understand”), from Proto-Germanic *under (“between”) + *standaną (“to stand”), equivalent to Old English under- (“between, inter-”) + standan (“to 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”). More at inter-, stand.

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ŭn(′)dər-stănd', IPA^(key): /(ˌ)ʌndəˈstænd/,
• (General American) enPR: ŭn′dər-stănd', IPA^(key): /ˌʌndɚˈstænd/, [ˌʌɾ̃ɚˈstænd], [ˌʌɾ̃ɚˈsteə̯nd]
• (Ireland) IPA^(key): /ˌɞndəɹˈstand/

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• Rhymes: -ænd
• Hyphenation: un‧der‧stand

understand (third-person singular simple present understands, present participle understanding, simple past and past participle understood)

1. (transitive) To grasp a concept fully and thoroughly, especially (of words, statements, art, &c.) to be aware of the meaning of and (of people) to be aware of the intent of.
   • 1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], OCLC 16832619:

     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.

   • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, p. 20:

     ‘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.’

   • 1998, Rush Hour:

     Carter: Please tell me you speak English. I'm Detective Carter. Do you speak-a any English? DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH? I can't believe this shit. First, I get a bullshit assignment, now Mr. Rice-a-Roni doesn't even speak American. C'mon, man, my ride over here. Put your bag in the back.

   I'm sorry. I don't understand.

   Please try to understand. It's not you, it's me.

2. To believe or impute, to think one grasps sufficiently despite potentially incomplete knowledge.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess‎:

     ‘I understand that the district was considered a sort of sanctuary,’ the Chief was saying.

   • 2013 June 14, Sam Leith, “Where the Profound Meets the Profane”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 37:

     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.

   I understand that you have a package for me?

   In the imperative mood, the word “you” is usually understood.

3. (humorous, rare, obsolete outside circus, acrobatics) To stand underneath, to support.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

• In its sense of "imputing meaning", use is usually limited to the past participle understood.
• The obsolete perfect form understanded is occasionally found, e.g. in the Book of Common Prayer and the 39 Articles of the Anglican Church.

• (to fully grasp a concept): apprehend, comprehend, grasp, know, perceive, pick up what someone is putting down, realise, grok
• (to believe one grasps a concept): believe

• misunderstand

• explain
• why

• understand in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• understand in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

• unstranded