Construe

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /kənˈstɹuː/

Definitions

1. To interpret or understand the meaning of something in a particular way
2. to parse and comprehend linguistic expression by examining its components and deriving a specific intended sense
3. To explain the meaning of a phrase, action, or text based on context and understanding

Etymology: The verb "construe" began as a building term. Its Latin ancestor, "construere," meant "to pile together," and the same root gave English "construct." The two words are doublets: they came into English by different routes from the same Latin source, so one kept the physical sense of assembling something while the other took on a grammatical one. That grammatical sense developed in Late Latin, where "construere" came to mean "to relate grammatically," that is, to arrange words into their proper relationships within a sentence. Middle English borrowed this sense as "construen," and it is the ancestor of the modern verb. To construe a sentence is to piece its parts together until its meaning emerges, which is why the word still carries the image of assembly even though no building is involved.

Synonyms: interpret, understand, explain, analyze, decipher

Antonyms: misinterpret, confuse, misunderstand, overlook, neglect