interpret

See also Interpret

English

Etymology

From Middle English interpreten, from Old French enterpreter, (French interpréter), from Latin interpretor (“to explain, expound, interpret”), past participle interpretatus, from interpres (“an agent, broker, explainer, interpreter, negotiator”), from inter (“between”) + -pres, probably the root of pretium (“price”); -pres is probably connected with Ancient Greek φράζειν (phrazein, “to point out, show, explain, declare, speak”), from which φραδή (phrade, “understanding”), φράσις (phrasis, “speech”); see phrase.

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ɪnˈtɜːpɹɪt/, X-SAMPA: /In"t3:prIt/
• (GenAm) IPA: /ɪnˈtɝpɹɪt/, X-SAMPA: /In"t3`prIt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

interpret (third-person singular simple present interprets, present participle interpreting, simple past and past participle interpreted)

1. To explain or tell the meaning of; to expound; to translate orally into intelligible or familiar language or terms; to decipher; to define; -- applied especially to language, but also to dreams, signs, conduct, mysteries, etc.; as, to interpret the Hebrew language to an Englishman; to interpret an Indian speech.

   "Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Matt. i. 23.

   "And Pharaoh told them his dreams; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh." Gen. xli. 8.

2. To apprehend and represent by means of art; to show by illustrative representation; as, an actor interprets the character of Hamlet; a musician interprets a sonata; an artist interprets a landscape.
3. (intransitive) To act as an interpreter.

Synonyms

• translate, explain, solve, render, expound, elucidate, decipher, unfold, unravel

Related terms

• interpretation
• interpretative
• interpreter
• interpretive

Translations

to explain or tell the meaning of

• Arabic: فسر (ar) (fássara)
• Catalan: interpretar (ca)
• Czech: vyložit (cs)
• Dutch: interpreteren (nl)
• Esperanto: interpreti (eo)
• Finnish: tulkita (fi)
• German: interpretieren (de)
• Greek: ερμηνεύω (el) (erminévo) 

• Hungarian: értelmez (hu)
• Italian: interpretare (it)
• Japanese: 解説する (ja) (かいせつする, kaisetsu suru)
• Korean: 해석하다 (ko) (haeseok-hada)
• Russian: объяснять (ru) (obʺjasn'át')  impf., объяснить (ru) (obʺjasnít')  pf.; толковать (ru) (tolkovát')  impf., истолковать (ru) (istolkovát')  pf., интерпретировать (ru) (interpretírovat') 

to apprehend and represent by means of art

• Catalan: interpretar (ca)
• Finnish: tulkita (fi)
• French: interpréter (fr)
• German: interpretieren (de)
• Greek: ερμηνεύω (el) (erminévo) 

• Hungarian: előad (hu)
• Italian: interpretare (it)
• Japanese: 演奏する (ja) (えんそうする, ensō suru), 演出する (ja) (えんしゅつする, enshutsu suru)
• Russian: интерпретировать (ru) (interpretírovat')  impf.

to act as an interpreter

• Arabic: ترجم (ar) (tárjama)
• Catalan: interpretar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 翻譯 (cmn), 翻译 (cmn) (fānyì), 傳譯 (cmn), 传译 (cmn) (chuányì)

• Czech: tlumočit (cs)
• Dutch: vertalen (nl), tolken (nl)
• Finnish: tulkata
• French: traduire (fr), interpréter (fr)
• German: dolmetschen (de), übersetzen (de)

• Greek: διερμηνεύω (el) (dierminévo) 
• Hungarian: tolmácsol (hu), fordít (hu)
• Italian: interpretare (it)
• Japanese: 通訳する (ja) (つうやくする, tsūyaku suru)
• Khmer: បកប្រែ (km) (bɑɑk prae)
• Korean: 통역하다 (ko) (tong-yeok-hada)
• Russian: переводить (ru) (perevodít')  impf., перевести (ru) (perevestí)  pf.
• Thai: แปล (th) (bplae)
• Vietnamese: dịch (vi)

References

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

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Czech

Noun

interpret m

1. interpreter (programming)