different between understand vs imagine

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 ymagynen, from Middle French imaginer, from Latin im?ginor, from im?ginem, the accusative singular of im?g? (“a copy, likeness, image”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??mæd?.?n/
• Hyphenation: imag?ine

Verb

imagine (third-person singular simple present imagines, present participle imagining, simple past and past participle imagined)

1. (transitive) To form a mental image of something; to envision or create something in one's mind.
2. (transitive) To believe in something created by one's own mind.

3. (transitive) to assume

4. (transitive) to conjecture or guess

5. (intransitive) to use one's imagination

6. (transitive, obsolete) To contrive in purpose; to scheme; to devise.

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing). See Appendix:English catenative verbs
• This is generally a stative verb that rarely takes the continuous inflection. See Category:English stative verbs

Synonyms

• ween

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

imagine (plural imagines)

1. (fandom slang) A short fanfic or prompt placing a reader insert in a novel scenario with a character or celebrity.
   • 2015, Laura Starling, "FFIC101: An Introduction to the Horrors of Fanfiction", Critic (University of Otago), 2 March 2015, page 21:

     Some imagines are more sexual and creepy than others: "Imagine Stiles walking in on you giving Scott a blowjob."

   • 2016, Jocelyn Chambers, "The Exclusion Of People Of Color In Fanfiction", Majesty, December 2016, page 96:

     i personally like imagines and fanfics so i found a good amount of kylo ren x reader fics and started going through them.

   • 2019, "thranduilsperkybutt", quoted in "Author Spotlight: thranduilsperkybutt", Lemon, February 2019, page 37:

     If I get inspired immediately, I can bust out an imagine in 5-10 minutes.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:imagine.

French

Verb

imagine

1. first-person singular present indicative of imaginer
2. third-person singular present indicative of imaginer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of imaginer
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of imaginer
5. second-person singular imperative of imaginer

Latin

Noun

im?gine

1. ablative singular of im?g?

Portuguese

Verb

imagine

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of imaginar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of imaginar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of imaginar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of imaginar

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin im?g?, im?ginem, French image.

Noun

imagine f (plural imagini)

1. image

Declension

Related terms

• imagina

See also

• poz?

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ima?xine/, [i.ma?xi.ne]

Verb

imagine

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of imaginar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of imaginar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of imaginar.