understanding en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ʌndəˈstandɪŋ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (US) audio
- /ˌʌndɚˈstændɪŋ/ (General-American)
Etymology
From Middle English understandinge, understondinge, from Old English understanding (“intelligence, understanding”), from Proto-West Germanic *undarstandingu, from Proto-Germanic *understandingō, equivalent to understand + -ing (gerund ending). Cognate with Middle Dutch onderstaninge, Middle Low German understandinge, Middle High German understandunge.
Meanings
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(uncountable, with-of) The act of one that understands or comprehends; the mental process of discernment of meaning.
There are certain things that defy human understanding.
The Ways of Heav’n are dark and intricate, Puzzled in Mazes, and perplext with Errors; Our Underſtanding traces ’em in vain, Loſt and bewilder’d in the fruitleſs Search; […]
1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2:
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(countable, with-of) Reason or intelligence; ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge; ability to infer.
She has a solid understanding of particle physics.
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(countable, with-of) Opinion, judgement, or outlook.
It is the goneness of the Holocaust that produces the simultaneous profusion of discourses and understandings; the goneness is what opens up, what spurs, what unleashes the perpetual desire to do, to make, to rethink the Holocaust.
1999, Vivian Patraka, Spectacular Suffering: Theatre, Fascism, and the Holocaust:There is a multitude of theisms, many understandings of God, even within the same religious tradition.
2002, Ross Mackenzie, Marcus J. Borg, editors, God at 2000, page 48:The yawning gap in neuroscientists’ understanding of their topic is in the intermediate scale of the brain’s anatomy. Science has a passable knowledge of how individual nerve cells, known as neurons, work. It also knows which visible lobes and ganglia of the brain do what. But how the neurons are organised in these lobes and ganglia remains obscure.
2013 August 3, “The machine of a new soul”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:According to my understanding, the situation is quite perilous. I wonder if you see it this way, too.
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(countable, uncountable, with-of) An agreement of minds; harmony; something mutually understood or agreed upon. ▸ An informal contract; a mutual agreement.
I thought we had an understanding - you do the dishes, and I throw the trash.
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(countable, uncountable, with-of) An agreement of minds; harmony; something mutually understood or agreed upon. ▸ A reconciliation of differences.
The parties of the negotiation have managed to come to an understanding.
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(uncountable, with-of) Sympathy.
He showed much understanding for my problems when he heard about my past.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| understandings | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
inunderstanding · innerstanding · metaunderstanding · memorandum of understanding · according to one's understanding · peace that passeth understanding · preunderstanding · nonunderstanding · natural language understanding · mutual understanding
Relateds
innerstanding · intellection · overstand
Synonyms
comprehension · comprehension · grasp
Translations (170)
tl pag-unawa ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · nl overeenkomst (informal contract, mutual agreement) · hu együttérzés (sympathy) · lt supratimas ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · sk porozumenie ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · es entendimiento (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · tr anlayış ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · hi फहम ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · pl zrozumienie (sympathy) · hi समझ (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · bg разби́ране ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · gd còrdadh (reconciliation of differences) · el συνεννόηση (reconciliation of differences) · es entendimiento (informal contract, mutual agreement) · fa-ira دَرْک ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ky түшүнүү ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · fi yhteisymmärrys (reconciliation of differences) · kk түсіну ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · pl pojmowanie ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · uz fahm ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · es entendimiento (sympathy) · vi sự hiểu ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · bg съгла́сие (informal contract, mutual agreement) · fi näkemys (opinion, judgement or outlook) · eo kompreno ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · hu megértés ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · nb forståelse ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · pt entendimento (opinion, judgement or outlook) · hu egyezség (informal contract, mutual agreement) · de Begreifen ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · bg разби́ране (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · pt compreensão ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ur سَمَجھ ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ko 요해 ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · cs porozumění (sympathy) · eo intelekto ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · uk зрозумі́ння ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · pl zrozumienie ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · pt compreensão (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · uz tushunish ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ta புரிதல் (opinion, judgement or outlook) · cmn 明白 ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · fi yhteisymmärrys (informal contract, mutual agreement) · he הֲבָנָה ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · hi समझ ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · tg дарк ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · de Verständnis ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · bg споразуме́ние ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · el κατανόηση ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · da aftale (informal contract, mutual agreement) · ka ჩაწვდომა (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · sl razumevanje ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · nl verstandhouding (informal contract, mutual agreement) · cs pochopení (sympathy) · hu megértés (sympathy) · tpi save ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · az anlayış ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · hu belátás ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · uga 𐎁𐎊𐎐𐎚 ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · hi नज़र (opinion, judgement or outlook) · ug چۈشىنىش ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ota هوش ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ta புரிதல் (informal contract, mutual agreement) · izh arvo ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ro comprehensiune ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · cs dohoda (informal contract, mutual agreement) · ko 리해 ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · az fəhm ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · gl entendemento (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · sh razumevanje ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ru взаимопонима́ние (informal contract, mutual agreement) · fi näkökulma (opinion, judgement or outlook) · mk сфаќање ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ja 了解 ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · es entendimiento (opinion, judgement or outlook) · ang witt ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ja 理解 ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · sw masikizano (informal contract, mutual agreement) · cmn 了解 ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · de Verstehen ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · uk розумі́ння ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ta புரிதல் (reconciliation of differences) · de Einigung (reconciliation of differences) · da forståelse (informal contract, mutual agreement) · el νοημοσύνη (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · is skilningur ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · de Verständnis (opinion, judgement or outlook) · ota ادراك ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · sv förståelse ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · fi ymmärtäminen ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · uk порозумі́ння (sympathy) · ko 이해 ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · mi māramatanga ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · id pengertian ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · cmn 理解 ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · sq kuptim ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · th ความเข้าใจ ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · fa-ira فَهْم ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ar تَفَاهُم (informal contract, mutual agreement) · ko 료해 ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · pt entendimento (informal contract, mutual agreement) · hu felfogás ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · uk порозумі́ння (informal contract, mutual agreement) · el κατανόηση (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · hy հասկացողություն ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · tg фаҳм ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · cs porozumění ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · el κατανόηση (sympathy) · da forstand (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · ur فَہْم ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · hu megítélés (opinion, judgement or outlook) · ja 分かり ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · tr fehim ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · mk разбирање ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · hu megállapodás (informal contract, mutual agreement) · ta புரிதல் ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · gl comprensión ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · sh разумевање ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · mn ойлголт ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · fi käsittäminen ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · es avenimiento (reconciliation of differences) · ar فَهْم ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · izh äly ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · fi myötätunto (sympathy) · hu megegyezés (informal contract, mutual agreement) · uk уго́да (informal contract, mutual agreement) · it comprensione ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · gd aontachadh (reconciliation of differences) · da forståelse (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · txb plāksar (informal contract, mutual agreement) · fi päättelykyky (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · ka გაგება ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ka გაგება (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · pt entendimento ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ta புரிதல் (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · uk домо́вленість (informal contract, mutual agreement) · de Vereinbarung (informal contract, mutual agreement) · el συνεννόηση (informal contract, mutual agreement) · es entendimiento ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · sv överenskommelse (informal contract, mutual agreement) · fi ymmärrys (sympathy) · ru согла́сие (informal contract, mutual agreement) · da forståelse (sympathy) · be разуме́ньне ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ru разуме́ние ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · pl wyrozumiałość (sympathy) · lv izpratne ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · de Verständnis (sympathy) · be разуме́нне ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ota عقل (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · et mõistmine ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · ar رُؤْيَة (opinion, judgement or outlook) · bg схва́щане (opinion, judgement or outlook) · fr compréhension (sympathy) · ru понима́ние (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · fr compréhension (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · hi फ़हम ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · bg схва́щане ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · gd còrdadh (informal contract, mutual agreement) · fi käsitys (opinion, judgement or outlook) · ru понима́ние ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · da forståelse ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · sv förståelse (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · fi ymmärrys ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · fi käsityskyky (ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer) · da forståelse (opinion, judgement or outlook) · nl begrip ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · fr compréhension ((''uncountable'') the mental process of discernment of meaning) · gd aontachadh (informal contract, mutual agreement) · luy kamasikisano (informal contract, mutual agreement)