Where does “understand” come from?
Understand comes from Middle English understanden, from Old English understandan, from Proto-Germanic under combined with a root from Proto-Indo-European steh₂-, meaning to stand.
understand (English): To grasp a concept fully and thoroughly,...
Definitions
- To grasp a concept fully and thoroughly,...
Ancestry of “understand”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | understanden | — |
| 2 | Old English | understandan | to understand |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | understandaną | to stand between, stand in the midst, understand |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | under | among, between; under, beneath; under |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁entér | between |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁en | in; in, inside |