Asked by: Shany Schulist
Score: 4.6/5
(36 votes)
The prefix under in understand does not mean «beneath», but rather appears to be from an unrelated root mean «among«. Allow me to quote etymonline.com: O.E. understandan «comprehend, grasp the idea of,» probably lit. «stand in the midst of,» from under + standan «to stand» (see stand).
What is prefix of understand?
The verb misunderstand adds the «bad» or «wrong» prefix mis- to understand, from an Old English root, understandan, that literally means «stand in the midst of.»
What is prefix and suffix of understand?
there is no prefix or suffix for understand .
What are words with a prefix?
A prefix is a group of letters placed before the root of a word. For example, the word “unhappy” consists of the prefix “un-” [which means “not”] combined with the root (or stem) word “happy”; the word “unhappy” means “not happy.”
What is the root word for understandable?
late 14c., «able to understand;» late 15c., «able to be understood,» from understand + -able.
23 related questions found
Is understand a root word?
When we understand we “get it,” “catch the drift” or “get a handle on it.” The root of comprehend is the Latin prehendere, grasp. … One holds that the under- prefix also meant between or among, and to understand was to stand between things in order to separate and discern among them.
What’s the difference between understand and Overstand?
As verbs the difference between understand and overstand
is that understand is to be aware of the meaning of while overstand is (rare) to stand or insist too much or too long; overstay.
What prefixes mean not?
Non-, Un-, Dis-, and Ir- are all prefixes meaning “not.” What do the following words have in common? All these words have a prefix that means not.
What is a prefix for kids?
Kids Encyclopedia Facts. A prefix is a part of a word or a word, within a word. It is put at the start of another word to make a different meaning. It can also mean a number that is put in at the start to show which number something is in a group. It is a type of affix.
Why is it important to understand prefix?
By studying the most common prefixes and suffixes, student will master the skills needed to become more efficient readers. Not only does an understanding of prefixes and suffixes meanings improve reading skills, but it also boosts comprehension.
How can prefixes help you understand what you read?
The larger your vocabulary is, the faster you can read because you don’t stumble as often on words you don’t know or recognize. When you read words that you’re already familiar with, you read beyond the words for their meanings. … A prefix appears at the beginning of a word to give the word a new inflection or meaning.
How do number prefixes help you understand the meaning of new words?
Prefixes add complexity to the English language and make it possible to create new words that are easily understood by speakers everywhere. Reviewing a variety of prefix examples and what they mean will help you apply logic to new words and decode them appropriately.
What is prefix example?
A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Adding it to the beginning of one word changes it into another word. For example, when the prefix un- is added to the word happy, it creates the word unhappy. … In English, there are no inflectional prefixes; English uses suffixes instead for that purpose.
What is the prefix of Able?
Some prefixes that can be added to the word able are: un- to make the word unable, which means not able to do something. en- to make the word enable,…
What is the prefix for ex?
ex- 1. a prefix meaning “out of,” “from,” and hence “utterly,” “thoroughly,” and sometimes meaning “not” or “without” or indicating a former title, status, etc.; freely used as an English formative: exstipulate; exterritorial; ex-president (former president); ex-member; ex-wife.
Does IM mean without?
IM abbreviation. DEFINITIONS2. not or no: used with some adjectives and nouns that begin with ‘b’, ‘m’, and ‘p’ to give the opposite meaning. impossible. impatient.
What prefix means wrongly?
prefix. Definition of mis- (Entry 2 of 2) 1a : badly : wrongly misjudge. b : unfavorably misesteem.
Does the word mistake have a prefix?
The prefix mis means wrong. For example, mistake or misunderstand.
What’s the meaning of understanding?
(Entry 1 of 2) 1 : a mental grasp : comprehension. 2a : the power of comprehending especially : the capacity to apprehend general relations of particulars. b : the power to make experience intelligible by applying concepts and categories.
What is the etymology of understand?
From Middle English understanden, from Old English understandan (“to understand”), from Proto-Germanic *under (“between”) + *standaną (“to stand”), equivalent to Old English under- (“between, inter-”) + standan (“to stand”).
Is Overstand a real word?
Overstand meaning
To stand too strictly on the demands or conditions of.
Table of Contents
- What is the prefix of understand?
- What is the negative prefix of understand?
- Is UN in understand a prefix?
- How do you use the prefix re?
- What are re words?
- What are 6 letter words that start with re?
- What word starts with in?
- What words have the prefix re?
- Which is an example of a prefix?
- What is another word with the prefix pre?
- Is Prethink a word?
- Is Pretake a word?
- Is Prespell a word?
- What is a Perwrite?
- What is full form of pre?
- What means mislead?
- How do you mislead someone?
- How do you use mislead?
- What is the root word definition of mislead?
- What is a bamboozle?
- What word class is mislead?
- What is an example of mislead?
understand – Prefix misinterpret; misconceive; be amiss; misconstrue; misapprehend.
What is the negative prefix of understand?
The verb misunderstand adds the “bad” or “wrong” prefix mis- to understand, from an Old English root, understandan, that literally means “stand in the midst of.”
Is UN in understand a prefix?
When we are introduced to prefixes in school, un- is one of the first we are taught, probably because the idea of negation is relatively easy to understand. When it is prefixed to a verb, un- almost always means “do the opposite of” or “deprive of.” In this case, the prefixed word does imply an altering action.
How do you use the prefix re?
Using the prefix Re
- A prefix is placed at the beginning of a word to change its meaning.
- misunderstand, misplace, misprint.
- unaffected, unwanted, unconformable.
- discourage, disallow, disappear.
- Re is a prefix with the meaning again, back or it indicates repetition.
What are re words?
Study the word list: re-prefix
| revise | I will revise for my exams. * |
|---|---|
| refresh | Refresh the web page to get the latest scores. |
| revenge | Malcolm wants to take revenge. * |
| retrieved | The dog retrieved the ball. * |
| return | The President returned the salute. |
What are 6 letter words that start with re?
6-letter words starting with RE
| reacts | readds |
|---|---|
| readee | reader |
| Readys | Reagan |
| reagin | reaked |
| realer | reales |
What word starts with in?
15-letter words that start with in
- instrumentation.
- interchangeable.
- indemnification.
- intercollegiate.
- incompatibility.
- inconsequential.
- interscholastic.
- instrumentalist.
What words have the prefix re?
Review (Answers)
| Word | = Prefix | + Free Base |
|---|---|---|
| 1. rebuild | = re | + build |
| 2. reheat | = re | + heat |
| 3. rewrite | = re | + write |
| 4. replay | = re | + play |
Which is an example of a prefix?
A prefix is a group of letters placed before the root of a word. For example, the word “unhappy” consists of the prefix “un-” [which means “not”] combined with the root (or stem) word “happy”; the word “unhappy” means “not happy.”
What is another word with the prefix pre?
The prefix pre-, which means “before,” appears in numerous English vocabulary words, for example: predict, prevent, and prefix!
Is Prethink a word?
Prethink (Pre-think)
Is Pretake a word?
verb (used with object), par·took [pahr-took], par·tak·en, par·tak·ing. to take or have a part in; share.
Is Prespell a word?
verb transitive To make a first draft of ideas and format for an essay, thesis, article, or book as a plan for the actual writing. noun computing, database A write operation that is buffered instead of being applied directly to the database .
What is a Perwrite?
(transitive) To make a first draft of ideas and format for an essay, thesis, article, or book as a plan for the actual writing.
What is full form of pre?
PRE Full Form is Proportionate Reduction Of Error
| Term | Definition | Category |
|---|---|---|
| PRE | Progressive Resistance Exercise | Physiology |
| PRE | processing refabrication experiment | Government |
| PRE | Patent Retrieval Expert | Job Title |
| PRE | preformatted | Government |
What means mislead?
transitive verb. : to lead in a wrong direction or into a mistaken action or belief often by deliberate deceit His comments were a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.
How do you mislead someone?
You mislead someone when you point them in the wrong direction, literally or metaphorically. If you let your cousin think an expensive gift is from you when you actually just sent her a card, you are misleading her.
How do you use mislead?
Mislead in a Sentence 🔉
- She would mislead all of her boyfriends into believing she wanted something more serious.
- The manager did not mean to mislead his employees into thinking they would get any extra time off.
- A politician will often mislead his constituents to get extra votes.
What is the root word definition of mislead?
mislead (v.) Old English mislædan “to lead or guide wrongly,” especially “to draw into error,” a common Germanic compound (compare Middle Low German, Middle Dutch misleiden, Old High German misseleiten, German missleiten, Danish mislede); see mis- (1) + lead (v.).
What is a bamboozle?
transitive verb. 1 : to deceive by underhanded methods : dupe, hoodwink I got bamboozled by the salesperson to buy a more expensive model. 2 : to confuse, frustrate, or throw off thoroughly or completely a quarterback bamboozled by an unexpected defense.
What word class is mislead?
verb (used without object), mis·led, mis·lead·ing.
What is an example of mislead?
Mislead is defined as to bring in the wrong direction or give the wrong idea. An example of to mislead is for a man to flirt with a woman in whom he is really not interested.
Asked by: Charly Schittler
asked in category: technology and computing Last Updated: 28th September, 2020
understand — Prefix
misinterpret; misconceive; be amiss; misconstrue; misapprehend. Don’t misinterpret my comments as criticism.
Click to read full detail here. In respect to this, what is the root word of understand?
Understand seems like a pretty straightforward English word. When we understand we “get it,” “catch the drift” or “get a handle on it.” The root of comprehend is the Latin prehendere, grasp. Perceive comes from capere, “take hold of.” Many languages refer to these metaphors in their vocabulary of understanding.
Also Know, what is a prefix for Agree? Dis is prefix word for agree. After addid prefix the word will be. disagree.
Subsequently, question is, what is the negative prefix of understand?
Negative prefixes
| affirmative | negative |
|---|---|
| legal | illegal |
| legible | illegible |
| literate | illiterate |
| logical | illogical |
What is the prefix of spell?
Attaching Prefixes: Front-End Collision
| Prefix | Word | |
|---|---|---|
| mis | + | spell |
| un | + | acceptable |
| re | + | election |
| inter | + | related |
Prefixes of understand
-
misunderstand
- verb interpret in the wrong way
misinterpret; misconceive; be amiss; misconstrue; misapprehend.- Don’t misinterpret my comments as criticism
- She misconstrued my remarks
- More ‘misunderstand’ Meaning
- misunderstand Associated Words
- misunderstand Prefix/Suffix Words
- misunderstand Related Words
- verb interpret in the wrong way
Suffixes of understand
-
understanding
- noun the cognitive condition of someone who understands
apprehension; savvy; discernment.- he has virtually no understanding of social cause and effect
- noun the statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises
agreement.- they had an agreement that they would not interfere in each other’s business
- there was an understanding between management and the workers
- More ‘understanding’ Meaning
- understanding Associated Words
- understanding Prefix/Suffix Words
- understanding Related Words
- noun the cognitive condition of someone who understands
-
understand
- verb know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
- She did not understand her husband
- I understand what she means
- verb perceive (an idea or situation) mentally
see; realize; realise.- Now I see!
- I just can’t see your point
- Does she realize how important this decision is?
- I don’t understand the idea
- More ‘understand’ Meaning
- understands Associated Words
- understands Prefix/Suffix Words
- understands Related Words
- verb know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
-
understanding
- noun the cognitive condition of someone who understands
apprehension; savvy; discernment.- he has virtually no understanding of social cause and effect
- noun the statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises
agreement.- they had an agreement that they would not interfere in each other’s business
- there was an understanding between management and the workers
- More ‘understanding’ Meaning
- understandings Associated Words
- understandings Prefix/Suffix Words
- understandings Related Words
- noun the cognitive condition of someone who understands
-
understandable
- adjective satellite capable of being apprehended or understood
graspable; perceivable; intelligible; apprehensible.
- More ‘understandable’ Meaning
- understandable Associated Words
- understandable Related Words
- adjective satellite capable of being apprehended or understood
-
understandably
- adverb in an intelligible manner
intelligibly; clearly.- the foreigner spoke to us quite intelligibly
- More ‘understandably’ Meaning
- understandably Associated Words
- understandably Related Words
- adverb in an intelligible manner
-
understandability
- noun the quality of comprehensible language or thought
comprehensibility.
- More ‘understandability’ Meaning
- understandability Associated Words
- understandability Related Words
- noun the quality of comprehensible language or thought
-
understandingly
- adverb with understanding
- she nodded understandingly
- More ‘understandingly’ Meaning
- understandingly Associated Words
- understandingly Prefix/Suffix Words
- understandingly Related Words
- adverb with understanding
-
understand
- verb know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
- She did not understand her husband
- I understand what she means
- verb perceive (an idea or situation) mentally
see; realize; realise.- Now I see!
- I just can’t see your point
- Does she realize how important this decision is?
- I don’t understand the idea
- More ‘understand’ Meaning
- understanded Related Words
- verb know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
-
understand
- verb know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
- She did not understand her husband
- I understand what she means
- verb perceive (an idea or situation) mentally
see; realize; realise.- Now I see!
- I just can’t see your point
- Does she realize how important this decision is?
- I don’t understand the idea
- More ‘understand’ Meaning
- understander Associated Words
- understander Prefix/Suffix Words
- understander Related Words
- verb know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
Derived words of understand
-
misunderstanding
- noun putting the wrong interpretation on
mistaking; misinterpretation.- his misinterpretation of the question caused his error
- there was no mistaking her meaning
- noun an understanding of something that is not correct
misapprehension; mistake.- he wasn’t going to admit his mistake
- make no mistake about his intentions
- there must be some misunderstanding—I don’t have a sister
- More ‘misunderstanding’ Meaning
- misunderstanding Associated Words
- misunderstanding Prefix/Suffix Words
- misunderstanding Related Words
- noun putting the wrong interpretation on
-
misunderstanding
- noun putting the wrong interpretation on
mistaking; misinterpretation.- his misinterpretation of the question caused his error
- there was no mistaking her meaning
- noun an understanding of something that is not correct
misapprehension; mistake.- he wasn’t going to admit his mistake
- make no mistake about his intentions
- there must be some misunderstanding—I don’t have a sister
- More ‘misunderstanding’ Meaning
- misunderstandings Associated Words
- misunderstandings Related Words
- noun putting the wrong interpretation on
-
misunderstand
- verb interpret in the wrong way
misinterpret; misconceive; be amiss; misconstrue; misapprehend.- Don’t misinterpret my comments as criticism
- She misconstrued my remarks
- More ‘misunderstand’ Meaning
- misunderstands Associated Words
- misunderstands Related Words
- verb interpret in the wrong way
About Prefix and Suffix Words
This page lists all the words created by adding prefixes, suffixes to the word `understand`. For each word, youwill notice a blue bar below the word. The longer the blue bar below a word, the more common/popular the word. Very short blue bars indicate rare usage.
While some of the words are direct derivations of the word `understand`, some are not.
You can click on each word to see it’s meaning.
About Prefix and Suffix Words
This page lists all the words created by adding prefixes, suffixes to the word `understand`. For each word, youwill notice a blue bar below the word. The longer the blue bar below a word, the more common/popular the word. Very short blue bars indicate rare usage.
While some of the words are direct derivations of the word `understand`, some are not.
You can click on each word to see it’s meaning.
To understand something means to be aquainted with it, to know it very well, know how it «ticks». This is one of the basic words that has a direct «meaning» in mind.
However, if we «dissect» it, is seems like it means to stand under something. Isn’t knowing something would logically be called abovestand and not understand, since when you are under something, you are less informed about it then when you are above it.
This may seem senseless to you, but I am sure a native English speaker will get the idea of what I am trying to say. Why under, not above?
Daniel
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asked Mar 14, 2012 at 16:07
Maxim V. PavlovMaxim V. Pavlov
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It’s not «logical». It’s metaphorical. Here’s the etymology from the OED:
[OE. understondan, -standan (under-1 8 a), = OFris. understonda, MDa. understande, MSw. undi(r)standa, OIcel. (as a foreign word) undirstanda. Cf. MLG. understân to understand, to step under, MDutch onderstaen (Dutch —staan), MHG. understân, —stên (G. unterstehen), to take upon oneself, to venture, presume, etc.
With a different prefix, the same use of stand appears in OE. forstandan, OS. farstandan, OHG. far-, firstantan (firstân), and MHG. verstân, -stên (G. verstehen), MDutch verstaen (Dutch —staan). In the 15th and 16th cents. three forms of the past participle were current, viz. (a) the original understanden (also —stonden), in use till about 1550; (b) the reduced form of this, understande (-stonde), —stand (-stond), common till about 1575, and surviving into the 17th cent.; (c) the new form understanded (-stonded), very common from about 1530 to 1585. The occurrence of understanded in the Thirty-Nine Articles, xxxv, in the phrase `understanded of the people’, has given rise to recent echoes of it, especially in journalistic use. The modern form understood came into use in the latter part of the 16th cent., and was usual by 1600. ]
So understand means to stand under (we would now say «stand behind» as a more common idiom), to know well, to have trust in, to have personal confidence in, etc. To say one understands a task, a trade, a fact, an idea, a job, the meaning of a word, or a person means all that. The personal aspect of the word is pre-eminent.
answered Mar 14, 2012 at 16:26
John LawlerJohn Lawler
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You can’t assume a current word superficially constructed from multiple elements which are also current words can necessarily be easily «deconstructed» from current meanings of the components.
From OED, it appears English imported understand wholesale from Middle Dutch onderstaen (to take upon oneself, to venture, presume). But Old English also had the same use of «stand» in forstandan.
From pp 210-214, An Analytic Dictionary of English Etymology, An Introduction (2008):
OE. forstandan, OHG firstantan, firstan ‘verstehen’ may have meant primarily ‘stand before,’ and hence ‘watch, observe, perceive’. And just as the «stand» component semantically relates to perception, standpoint rather than physical posture, the «under» component is actually more among, within rather than beneath, supporting.
Be warned that if you follow the above link, you’re looking at six pages of densely-packed analysis of the etymology of understand; attempts to summarise it here are somewhat futile.
I’m not sure any of this will really help OP. It just serves as a reminder that language evolves — things which look similar today may be unrelated, and things which look dissimilar may have a common origin.
answered Mar 14, 2012 at 16:29
FumbleFingersFumbleFingers
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The prefix under in understand does not mean «beneath», but rather appears to be from an unrelated root mean «among». Allow me to quote etymonline.com:
O.E. understandan «comprehend, grasp the idea of,» probably lit. «stand in the midst of,» from under + standan «to stand» (see stand). If this is the meaning, the under is not the usual word meaning «beneath,» but from O.E. under, from PIE *nter- «between, among» (cf. Skt. antar «among, between,» L. inter «between, among,» Gk. entera «intestines;» see inter-).
That is the suggestion in Barnhart, but other sources regard the «among, between, before, in the presence of» sense of O.E. prefix and preposition under as other meanings of the same word. «Among» seems to be the sense in many O.E. compounds that resemble understand, e.g. underniman «to receive,» undersecan «to investigate,» underginnan «to begin.» It also seems to be the sense still in expressions such as under such circumstances.
Perhaps the ultimate sense is «be close to,» cf. Gk. epistamai «I know how, I know,» lit. «I stand upon.» Similar formations are found in O.Fris. (understonda), M.Dan. (understande), while other Germanic languages use compounds meaning «stand before» (cf. Ger. verstehen, represented in O.E. by forstanden). For this concept, most I.E. languages use figurative extensions of compounds that lit. mean «put together,» or «separate,» or «take, grasp» (see comprehend). O.E. oferstandan, M.E. overstonden, lit. «over-stand» seem to have been used only in literal senses.
answered Mar 14, 2012 at 16:25
Etymonline presents a plausible explanation:
understand
O.E. understandan «comprehend, grasp the idea of,» probably lit. «stand in the midst of,» from under + standan «to stand» (see stand). If this is the meaning, the under is not the usual word meaning «beneath,» but from O.E. under, from PIE nter- «between, among» (cf. Skt. antar «among, between,» L. inter «between, among,» Gk. entera «intestines;» see inter-).
It goes on to give a second explanation which ties understand to the current word under:
That is the suggestion in Barnhart, but other sources regard the «among, between, before, in the presence of» sense of O.E. prefix and preposition under as other meanings of the same word. «Among» seems to be the sense in many O.E. compounds that resemble understand, e.g. underniman «to receive,» undersecan «to investigate,» underginnan «to begin.» It also seems to be the sense still in expressions such as under such circumstances.
Perhaps the ultimate sense is «be close to,» cf. Gk. epistamai «I know how, I know,» lit. «I stand upon.» Similar formations are found in O.Fris. (understonda), M.Dan. (understande), while other Germanic languages use compounds meaning «stand before» (cf. Ger. verstehen, represented in O.E. by forstanden). For this concept, most I.E. languages use figurative extensions of compounds that lit. mean «put together,» or «separate,» or «take, grasp» (see comprehend). O.E. oferstandan, M.E. overstonden, lit. «over-stand» seem to have been used only in literal senses.
answered Mar 14, 2012 at 16:22
DanielDaniel
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According to the extremely useful and interesting Online Etymology Dictionary (www.etymonline.com), understand comes from old English. In those days, under did not mean «beneath», but «among, between», a semantic thread that goes all the way back to the Sanskrit word antar.
But the dictionary also states another hypothesis, which is directly linked to your opinion, but rather inversely (cf. Gk. epistamai): «I stand upon.»
It’s good to keep in mind that words have old and forgotten ancestors. The link between the new and the old might remain, but most often in an exquisitely convoluted fashion.
answered Mar 14, 2012 at 16:58
You might be getting tripped up by thinking that under means below or beneath. Sure, under *can* mean the opposite of over or above, but there are several other meanings of under as well.
Several words begin with under— (such as undertones, understudy, understate, undertake) — not always implying physical proximity beneath something else.
(See link provided above).
answered Mar 14, 2012 at 16:25
J.R.J.R.
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The direct answer to your question is that the meaning of ‘understand’ is not a composition of its parts, as you have well noticed, and this is a general feature of natural languages that it is not logical or literal. It might start off literally (as in a constructed language) but once a generation has gone by, everything is metaphorical. For example there are similar words ‘undertake’, ‘forget’, ‘withhold’ whose meanings are only tangentially related to their parts.
As to the particular phenomenon of ‘understand’, etymonline has a speculative derivation where ‘under’ really comes from the PIE root for ‘inter’ or between, thus an attempt at preserving some literal connection in the ancient word.
For comparison as to how other languages do it for ‘understand’, there is quite a bit of illogical non-literal metaphor: ‘com-prendre’ in French and Spanish (literally ‘take with’), ‘по-нимать’ (Russian — ‘takes on’), ‘κατα-λαμβάνω’ (Greek ‘hold down’). Of course all these examples are European so there may be an area influence (Sprachbund). I was unable to confirm examples in Indian or Chinese (most terms in Chinese really are pairs of syllables each with their own stand alone meaning) so often a metaphorical extension occurs anyway.
answered Mar 14, 2012 at 16:50
MitchMitch
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This Reddit post refers to an explanation in Story of Human Language. Please edit this, if you know at which moment in time or which lecture.
If you like John McWhorter (I do, but I can admit some shortcomings in his conclusions as a result of his enthusiasm), he discusses this in one of his Great Courses lectures, though I forget which one. The conclusion he comes to is that understanding means that you are “standing under/amid the information”, meaning you know it well.
answered Jun 5, 2018 at 14:13