comprehend

English

Etymology

From Latin comprehendere (“to grasp”), from the prefix com-, + prehendere (“to seize”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA: /kɑmprəhɛnd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• (UK) IPA: /ˈkɒmpriˌhɛnd/, SAMPA: /"kQm.pri.hEnd/

Verb

comprehend (third-person singular simple present comprehends, present participle comprehending, simple past and past participle comprehended)

1. to cover, include, or contain

   This book comprehends all the topics that are relevant for you.

   1776: In the second century of the Christian Æra, the empire of Rome comprehended the fairest part of the earth, and the most civilized portion of mankind : The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire : Edward Gibbon. This edition Penguin 2000. p. 9

2. to understand or grasp fully and thoroughly.

Translations

to cover

Bulgarian: обхващам (bg), побирам (bg) Finnish: käsittää (fi), sisältää (fi) French: comprendre (fr) German: umfassen (de)

Italian: comprendere (it) Latin: capio (la) Portuguese: compreender (pt) Russian: покрывать (ru)

to understand

Bulgarian: разбирам (bg), схващам (bg) Dutch: begrijpen (nl) Finnish: ymmärtää (fi), käsittää (fi), tajuta (fi) French: comprendre (fr) German: verstehen (de), begreifen (de), erfassen (de)

Italian: comprendere (it), capire (it) Latin: capio  (la), video (la) Portuguese: compreender (pt) Russian: понимать (ru), постигать (ru) Spanish: comprender (es) Turkish: idrak etmek (tr)

Related terms

comprehensibility comprehensible comprehension

comprehensive comprehensiveness comprise

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French

Verb

comprehend

1. third-person singular present indicative of comprehendre