Meaning

verb know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

verb perceive (an idea or situation) mentally

verb make sense of a language

originFrom Middle English understanden, from Old English understandan (“to understand”), from Proto-West Germanic *understandan (“to stand between, understand”), from Proto-Germanic *understandaną (“to stand between, understand”), equivalent to Old English under- (“between, inter-”) + standan (“to stand”) (Modern English under- + stand). Cognate with Old Frisian understonda (“to understand, experience,…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0