[syn: embrace, encompass, comprehend, cover]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Comprehend \Com`pre*hend"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Comprehended;
p. pr. & vb. n. Comprehending.] [L. comprehendere,
comprehensum; com- + prehendere to grasp, seize; prae before
+ hendere (used only in comp.). See Get, and cf.
Comprise.]
1. To contain; to embrace; to include; as, the states
comprehended in the Austrian Empire.
[1913 Webster]
Who hath . . . comprehended the dust of the earth in
a measure. --Is. xl. 12.
[1913 Webster]
2. To take in or include by construction or implication; to
comprise; to imply.
[1913 Webster]
Comprehended all in this one word, Discretion.
--Hobbes.
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And if there be any other commandment, it is briefly
comprehended in this saying. --Rom. xiii.
9.
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3. To take into the mind; to grasp with the understanding; to
apprehend the meaning of; to understand.
[1913 Webster]
At a loss to comprehend the question. --W. Irwing.
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Great things doeth he, which we can not comprehend.
--Job. xxxvii.
5.
Syn: To contain; include; embrace; comprise; inclose; grasp;
embody; involve; imply; apprehend; imagine; conceive;
understand. See Apprehend.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
comprehend
v 1: get the meaning of something; "Do you comprehend the
meaning of this letter?" [syn: grok, get the picture,
comprehend, savvy, dig, grasp, compass,
apprehend]
2: to become aware of through the senses; "I could perceive the
ship coming over the horizon" [syn: perceive, comprehend]
3: include in scope; include as part of something broader; have
as one's sphere or territory; "This group encompasses a wide
range of people from different backgrounds"; "this should
cover everyone in the group" [syn: embrace, encompass,
comprehend, cover]