Comprehend
/ˌkɒm.prɪˈhɛnd/noun
To understand or grasp the meaning of something.
Did you know?It comes from Latin *comprehendere*, a verb used for physically seizing or arresting something, so “comprehension” began as a kind of mental capture.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ghend-
“to seize, take hold of”
Latin
Latin
comprehendere
“to seize, catch, grasp; later, to understand”
Late Latin
Latin
comprehendere
“to apprehend mentally, understand fully”
Old French
Old French
comprendre
“to seize, contain; to understand”
Middle English
English
comprehenden
“to grasp mentally, understand”
Modern English
English
comprehend
“to understand fully or grasp the meaning of”
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