understanding

A2 Topic:Register & Style

US /ˌʌndɚˈstændɪŋ/ UK /ʌndəˈstandɪŋ/ See IPA manual

Freq #2519

Meanings

1

noun
Knowledge of how something works or what it means.

She has a solid understanding of particle physics.
2

noun
An informal agreement between people.

We have an understanding: you cook and I clean.
3

adj
Kind and sympathetic toward other people's feelings.

My boss was very understanding when I needed time off.
4

noun
Sympathy or kindness toward someone's situation.

He showed much understanding for my problems.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · knowledge of how something... comprehension grasp

3 adj · kind and sympathetic toward... sympathetic

4 noun · sympathy or kindness toward... sympathy

Word family

Forms understandinglyunderstandings

Derived forms innerstanding

Related forms innerstandingintellectionoverstand

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

mutual understanding
shared sympathy and awareness of each other's views or feelings

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English understandyng, understondynge, understondinde, undirstondend, understandande, from Old English understandende, from Proto-West Germanic *undarstandandī, from Proto-Germanic *understandandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *understandaną (“to stand between, intercede, understand”), equivalent to understand + -ing (present participle ending).

understandyng Middle English understandende Old English *undarstandandī Proto-West Germanic *understandandz Proto-Germanic *understandaną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

External links

# understanding

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌʌndɚˈstændɪŋ/
**IPA (UK):** /ʌndəˈstandɪŋ/
**Frequency rank:** 2519

## Meanings
1. Knowledge of how something works or what it means.
2. An informal agreement between people.
3. Kind and sympathetic toward other people's feelings.
4. Sympathy or kindness toward someone's situation.

## Examples
- She has a solid understanding of particle physics.
- We have an understanding: you cook and I clean.
- My boss was very understanding when I needed time off.
- He showed much understanding for my problems.

## Derived Forms
- innerstanding

## Related Forms
- innerstanding
- intellection
- overstand

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: understandyng
- Root: understandende
- Root: *undarstandandī
- Root: *understandandz
- Root: *understandaną

## Etymology
From Middle English understandyng, understondynge, understondinde, undirstondend, understandande, from Old English understandende, from Proto-West Germanic *undarstandandī, from Proto-Germanic *understandandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *understandaną (“to stand between, intercede, understand”), equivalent to understand + -ing (present participle ending).

## AI Etymology
Understanding is from Middle English understandyng, understondynge, understondinde, undirstondend, understandande, from Old English understandende, from Proto-West Germanic *undarstandandī, from Proto-Germanic *understandandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *understandaną (“to stand between, intercede, understand”), equivalent to understand + -ing (present participle ending). In present-day use, it can mean knowledge of how something works or what it means, or an informal agreement between people. Derived formations include innerstanding.

## Topics
- Register & Style
- General Vocabulary

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