construe
/kənˈstɹuː/ noun, verb
Forms construes construing construed conster
- noun A translation.
- noun An interpretation.
- verb (transitive) To understand (something) as meaning, to take to mean.
- verb (transitive) To interpret (something) to another or publicly, explain the meaning of (something, usually language).
- verb (grammar, transitive) To analyze the grammatical structure of a clause or sentence; to parse.
- verb (grammar, ergative) To admit of grammatical analysis.
- verb (transitive) To translate.
- verb To infer.
- verb (obsolete) To explain.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English construen, from Late Latin construo, construere (“to relate grammatically”), from Latin construo (“pile together”); doublet of construct.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To apply the rules of syntax to (a sentence or clause) so as to exhibit the structure, arrangement, or connection of, or to discover the sense; to explain the construction of; to interpret; to translate.
- verb To put a construction upon; to explain the sense or intention of; to interpret; to understand.
Etymology [L. construere: cf. F. construire. See Construct.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “construe”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details