Comprehend

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /kɒmpɹɪˈhɛnd/

Definitions

1. To fully understand or grasp the meaning, nature, or significance of something through mental processing
2. To perceive and fully understand the meaning, context, or significance of information or concepts in a thoughtful manner
3. To grasp and mentally process the underlying meaning or essence of information, including its importance and implications

Etymology: The verb "comprehend" carries a physical image in its Latin ancestor. Latin "comprehendere" combined "com-" (together, thoroughly) with "prehendere," meaning "to seize" or "to grasp," so to comprehend originally meant to take hold of something all at once, the way a hand closes around an object. The same root gave English "apprehend," which still carries that sense of physically catching someone, and "prehensile," used of tails and fingers that can grip. English received the word through Middle English "comprehenden," and it kept its sense of mental grasp early on. Its close relative "comprend" entered English by a separate route, so the two words are doublets: one came directly from Latin, the other arrived through French, and both survive with the same underlying idea of seizing something whole.

Synonyms: understand, grasp, fathom, perceive, discern

Antonyms: misunderstand, ignore, overlook, confuse, neglect