From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Comprehend \Com'pre*hend"\, verb (used with an object) [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.
Who hath . . . comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure. --Is. xl. 12.
2. To take in or include by construction or implication; to comprise; to imply.
Comprehended all in this one word, Discretion. --Hobbes.
And if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying. --Rom. xiii. 9.
3. To take into the mind; to grasp with the understanding; to apprehend the meaning of; to understand.
At a loss to comprehend the question. --W. Irwing.
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}.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
verb
1: get the meaning of something; "Do you comprehend the meaning of this letter?" [syn: {get the picture}, {savvy}, {dig}, {grasp}, {compass}, {apprehend}]
2: to become aware of through the senses; "I could perceive the ship coming over the horizon" [syn: {perceive}]
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}, {cover}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
86 Moby Thesaurus words for "comprehend": absorb, accept, admit, appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, be acquainted with, be apprised of, be aware of, be cognizant of, be conscious of, be conversant with, be informed, be with one, catch, catch on, cognize, compass, complete, comprise, conceive, conceptualize, contain, count in, cover, dig, digest, discern, embody, embrace, encircle, enclose, encompass, envisage, envision, fathom, fill, fill in, fill out, follow, get, get hold of, get the drift, get the idea, get the picture, grasp, have, have information about, have it taped, have knowledge of, hold, include, incorporate, involve, ken, know, learn, make out, master, number among, occupy, perceive, possess, prehend, read, realize, receive, reckon among, reckon in, reckon with, recognize, savvy, see, seize, seize the meaning, sense, subsume, take, take in, take into account, take into consideration, take up, twig, understand, wot, wot of
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