comprehend Meaning, Definition & Usage

verb get the meaning of something
grok; apprehend; dig; grasp; compass; savvy; get the picture.
- Do you comprehend the meaning of this letter?
verb to become aware of through the senses
perceive.
- I could perceive the ship coming over the horizon
verb include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
cover; encompass; embrace.
- This group encompasses a wide range of people from different backgrounds
- this should cover everyone in the group

L. comprehendere, comprehensum; com- + prehendere to grasp, seize; prae before + hendere (used only in comp.). See Get, and cf. Comprise.

imperfect & past participle Comprehended; present participle & verbal noun Comprehending

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.
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.
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.