different between understand vs dread

English

Alternative forms

• understaund (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English understanden, from Old English understandan (“to understand”), from Proto-Germanic *under (“between”) + *standan? (“to stand”), equivalent to Old English under- (“between, inter-”) + standan (“to stand”). Cognate with Old Frisian understonda (“to understand, experience, learn”), Old High German understantan (“to understand”), Middle Danish understande (“to understand”). Compare also Saterland Frisian understunda, unnerstounde (“to dare, survey, measure”), Dutch onderstaan (“to undertake, presume”), German unterstehen (“to be subordinate”). More at inter-, stand.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ?n(?)d?r-st?nd', IPA^(key): /(?)?nd??stænd/,
• (General American) enPR: ?n?d?r-st?nd', IPA^(key): /??nd??stænd/, [??????stænd], [??????ste??nd]
• (Ireland) IPA^(key): /??nd???stand/
• Rhymes: -ænd
• Hyphenation: un?der?stand

Verb

understand (third-person singular simple present understands, present participle understanding, simple past and past participle understood)

1. (transitive) To grasp a concept fully and thoroughly, especially (of words, statements, art, etc.) to be aware of the meaning of and (of people) to be aware of the intent of.
   • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, p. 20:

     ‘I came back here, had a wank and finished that book.’
     ‘The Naked Lunch?’
     ‘Yeah.’
     ‘What did you reckon?’
     ‘Crap.’
     ‘You're just saying that because you didn't understand it,’ said Adrian.
     ‘I'm just saying that because I did understand it,’ said Tom. ‘Any road up, we'd better start making some toast.’

2. To believe, to think one grasps sufficiently despite potentially incomplete knowledge.

3. (humorous, rare, obsolete outside circus, acrobatics) To stand underneath, to support.

Usage notes

• In its sense of "imputing meaning", use is usually limited to the past participle understood.
• The obsolete perfect form understanded is occasionally found, e.g. in the Book of Common Prayer and the 39 Articles of the Anglican Church.

Synonyms

• (to fully grasp a concept): apprehend, comprehend, grasp, know, perceive, pick up what someone is putting down, realise, grok
• (to believe one grasps a concept): believe

Antonyms

• misunderstand

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• explain
• why

Further reading

• understand in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• understand in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• unstranded

English

Etymology

From Middle English dreden, from Old English dr?dan (“to fear, dread”), aphetic form of ondr?dan (“to fear, dread”), from and- +? r?dan (whence read); corresponding to an aphesis of earlier adread.

Akin to Old Saxon antdr?dan, andr?dan (“to fear, dread”), Old High German intr?tan (“to fear”), Middle High German entr?ten (“to fear, dread, frighten”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: dr?d, IPA^(key): /d??d/
• Rhymes: -?d

Verb

dread (third-person singular simple present dreads, present participle dreading, simple past and past participle dreaded)

1. (transitive) To fear greatly.
2. To anticipate with fear.
   • 1877, Anna Sewell, Black Beauty Chapter 22[1]

     Day by day, hole by hole our bearing reins were shortened, and instead of looking forward with pleasure to having my harness put on as I used to do, I began to dread it.

3. (intransitive) To be in dread, or great fear.

   • Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

4. (transitive) To style (the hair) into dreadlocks.

Derived terms

• dreadable
• dreadly
• dreadworthy

Translations

Noun

dread (countable and uncountable, plural dreads)

1. Great fear in view of impending evil; fearful apprehension of danger; anticipatory terror.
   • a. 1694, John Tillotson, The Advantages of Religion to particular Persons

     the secret dread of divine displeasure
2. Reverential or respectful fear; awe.

   • The fear of you, and the dread of you, shall be upon every beast of the earth.
3. Somebody or something dreaded.
4. (obsolete) A person highly revered.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, Faerie Queene

     Una, his dear dread

5. (obsolete) Fury; dreadfulness.
6. A Rastafarian.
7. (chiefly in the plural) dreadlock

Derived terms

• dreaden
• dreadful
• dreadless
• dreadsome

Translations

Adjective

dread (comparative dreader, superlative dreadest)

1. Terrible; greatly feared; dreaded.
2. (archaic) Awe-inspiring; held in fearful awe.

Derived terms

• dreadly

Translations

See also

• dreadlocks
• dreadnought

Anagrams

• adder, dared, radde, re-add, readd

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• dreads

Noun

dread m (plural dreads)

1. Clipping of dreadlock.