entry
understand
/ˌʌndərˈstænd/Grasp the meaning, significance, or intent
From O.English; possibly from Proto-Indo-European *nter- in this compound under (Between) + O.English standan (To stand or remain upright).
from PIE *nter- "between, among" (source also of Sanskrit antar "among, between," Latin inter "between, among," Greek...
from Old English under
+1 more sourcefrom Old English under
+1 more sourcefrom Old English understandan (“to understand”)
from Middle English understanden
from Old English under
+1 more sourcefrom Old English under
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from PIE *nter- "between, among" (source also of Sanskrit antar "among, between," Latin inter "between, among," Greek...
from Old English under
+1 more sourcefrom Old English under
+1 more sourcefrom Old English understandan (“to understand”)
from Middle English understanden
from Old English under
+1 more sourcefrom Old English under
+1 more sourcePicture an Anglo-Saxon listener trying to catch the meaning of a spoken message: understanding was imagined not as a lightbulb switching on, but as standing “among” or “between” the words. That depends on which historical explanation you favor. One influential theory connects under here with the old Indo-European idea “between,” related to Latin inter and Sanskrit antar; other scholars treat it as a broadened sense of the ordinary word under, meaning “in the presence of” or “among.” Either way, the second half is wonderfully concrete: standan simply meant “to stand,” a cousin of Latin stare and the source of our stand. By about 1200, Middle English writers were spelling the compound in dozens of ways—understont, understounde, even wonderstande—as if the word itself were struggling to stand still. So when you understand an argument, you are metaphorically standing in the middle of it, not merely looking at it from underneath.
The Story
Picture an Anglo-Saxon listener trying to catch the meaning of a spoken message: understanding was imagined not as a lightbulb switching on, but as standing “among” or “between” the words. That depends on which historical explanation you favor. One influential theory connects under here with the old Indo-European idea “between,” related to Latin inter and Sanskrit antar; other scholars treat it as a broadened sense of the ordinary word under, meaning “in the presence of” or “among.” Either way, the second half is wonderfully concrete: standan simply meant “to stand,” a cousin of Latin stare and the source of our stand. By about 1200, Middle English writers were spelling the compound in dozens of ways—understont, understounde, even wonderstande—as if the word itself were struggling to stand still. So when you understand an argument, you are metaphorically standing in the middle of it, not merely looking at it from underneath.
Modern Usage
A low-confidence slang use recorded in Urban Dictionary, including an explicit or sexual pun and an emphatic “I understand perfectly” usage.
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary Entry 1
- Urban Dictionary Entry 2
Kin & Kindred
From 'under'·Between, among; also beneath
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'standan'·To stand or remain upright
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia