▪ I. underˈstanding, vbl. n.
[f. the vb. + -ing1. Cf. MSw. undirstandning, Icel. -staðning.]
1. a. (Without article.) Power or ability to understand; intellect, intelligence. Sometimes spec. = c.
| a 1050 Liber Scintill. lxxxi. (1889) 221 Se þe þa on andᵹyte inran understandincge [L. intelligentiæ] onfehþ. a 1300 Cursor M. 320 Minning es to [v.r. þe] fader cald, þe sune es vnderstanding tald. c 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 605 Man when he is til worshepe broght Right understandyng has he noght. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xii. 300 Ac þese lewede laborers of lytel vnderstondynge Selde fallen so foule and so deepe in synne As clerkes of holy churche. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 135 By witte and connynge of vndyrstondynge a man may well chese the goode and lewe the ewill. c 1460 Wisdom 245–6 in Macro Plays 43 The iijde parte of þe soule ys ‘wndyrstondynge’; For by wndyrstondyng I be-holde wat Gode ys In hym selff. 1531 Elyot Gov. iii. xxiv, To perceyue more playnly, what thinge it is that I call understandynge. It is the principall part of the soule. 1587 Golding De Mornay v. 55 The beginner of all ends is vnderstanding, and in the most of these there is no vnderstanding. 1621 Burton Anat. Mel. i. i. ii. x. 40 Vnderstanding is a power of the Soule, by which we perceiue, know, remember, and Iudge. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 1127 For Understanding rul'd not, and the Will Heard not her lore. 1716 Hearne Coll. (O.H.S.) V. 338 This Nibb is a man of so little understanding that he was never known to laugh. 1759 Robertson Hist. Scot. iii. Wks. 1813 I. 245 Darnley was not superior to his father in understanding. 1779 Mirror No. 64, I found a perfect equality of understanding and of importance. 1821 Shelley Epipsych. 162 Love is like understanding, that grows bright, Gazing on many truths. 1894 A. Birrell Ess. xi. 131 He had not enough understanding to obfuscate it by drink. |
b. of understanding, intelligent, capable of judging with knowledge. Similarly of some understanding, of no, understanding.
| 1428 Munim. de Melros (Bann. Club) 520 At þe quhilk day þe saide assis askyt mar help of men of vndirstandyng. 1535 Coverdae 1 Kings iii. 12 Beholde, I haue geuen the an hert of wyszdome and vnderstondynge. 1537 Bible (Matthew) Wisd. xii. 24 They wente astraye..as chyldren of no vnderstandynge. 1600 Hakluyt Voy. III. 21 And what danger that were,..each man of reason or vnderstanding may iudge. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, v. iii. 135 Men of some vnderstanding, And wisedome. 1772 Boston Gazette 3 Aug. 2/2 Men of understanding..view the Governor's Speech..as an impertinent sophistical Piece of Toryism. |
c. With the: The faculty of comprehending and reasoning; the intellect.
| 1388 Wyclif Mark xii. 33 That he be loued..of al the vndur⁓stondynge, and of al the soule. 1620 T. Granger Div. Logike 108 The Vniuersall notions of the vnderstanding. 1663 Bp. Patrick Parab. Pilgrim (1687) 180 It cannot exercise the Understanding without provoking the passions. 1690 Locke Hum. Und. i. i. §1 The Understanding, like the Eye,..takes no notice of it self. 1701 Norris Ideal World ii. iii. (1704) 128 The business of the understanding can be no other than to understand. 1754 Edwards Freed. Will i. ii. 12 Then the Understanding must be taken in a large Sense, as including the whole Faculty of Perception or Apprehension. a 1859 De Quincey Knocking at Gate in Macb. Wks. 1860 XIV. 192 The mere understanding..is the meanest faculty in the human mind, and the most to be distrusted. 1872 Morley Voltaire 5 Manifold ways, of all of which the emotions can give good account to the understanding. |
† d. Mind, purpose, intent. Obs. rare.
| 1382 Wyclif 1 Pet. iii. 8 Alle of oon vndirstondinge, or wille [L. unanimes]. 1531 Elyot Gov. iii. iv. (1883) II. 220 In euery couenaunt, bargayne, or promise aught to be..one playne understandinge or meaning betwene the parties. |
2. The intellectual faculty as manifested in a particular person or set of persons.
| 1382 Wyclif Phil. iv. 7 The pees of God..kepe ȝoure hertis and vndirstondingis in Crist Jhesu. 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love i. Prol. (Skeat) I. 31 Right so..the understanding of Englishmen wol not strecche to the privy termes in Frenche. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xvii. 186 So moche hathe the Erthe in roundnesse..aftre myn opynyoun and myn undirstondynge. c 1450 Mirk's Festial 228 Here ys no mencyon of our lady by semyng to mony mennys vndyrstondyng. 1535 Coverdale 2 Macc. ii. 30 He that begynneth to wryte a story for the first, must with his vnderstondinge gather the matter together. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 190 Haue these stately aduauncements of flourishing fortune, so blinded thine understanding? 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 59 Auicen..reproueth..that saying of our Sauiour..as being weake and ill fitted to vulgar vnderstandings. 1666 Bp. Parker Free & Impart. Censure (1667) 77 A huge lushious stile..rather loaths and nauceats a discreet understanding, than informs and nourishes it. 1726 Swift Gulliver, Brobdingnag vii, It gave him..a very mean opinion of our understandings. 1769 Robertson Chas. V, i. Wks. (1813) V. 167 Her understanding, always weak, was often disordered. 1815 Scott Guy M. xv, The idea of parting from Miss Lucy..had never once occurred to the simplicity of his understanding. 1874 Carpenter Ment. Phys. i. ii. §88. 98 Those who have obtained most influence over the understandings of others. |
† 3. a. Signification, meaning, sense. Obs.
| 13.. Cursor M. 14753 (Gött.), Vr lauerd Iesus þaim gaue ansuer, Bot þai ne wist quat vnderstanding it bar. 1340 Ayenb. 222 Huo þet ine þo onderstondinge yelt oþer acseþ zuiche dette, he ne zeneȝeþ naȝt. 1375 Barbour Bruce iv. 236 [Fiends] mak ay thair ansuering In-till dowbill vndir⁓standing, Till dissaf thame that will thame trow. c 1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 51 When ȝe haue fully þe vnderstondynges of þe sentences,..þanne shal ȝe pursewe fully..ȝoure purpos desiryd. 1424 Paston Lett. I. 13 Billes..makyng mension and bering this undyrstondyng that the seyd William..schuld be slayn. c 1500 Melusine 364 There were ryche pictures where as were fygured many a noble hystory, and the wrytyng vndernethe that shewed the vnder⁓standyng of it. 1538 Cromwell in Merriman Life & Lett. (1902) II. 152 As they be taught euery sentence of the same by rote ye shall expounde..the understandyng of the same vnto them. 1589 Puttenham Engl. Poesie (Arb.) 189 Single words haue their sence and vnderstanding altered and figured many wayes. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 259 He and his fellowes were sent by..the Iewes, to learne the vnder⁓standing of some obscurer places of their law. 1635 Gram. Warre C 10 b, Pasco receiued two vnderstandings, ‘to feed’ and ‘to bring vp’. 1728 Chambers Cycl., Intendment of Law, the Understanding, Intention, and true Meaning of the Law. |
† b. Reference or application (to something).
| 1433 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 451/2 Þat þis said worde Cloth..have relation and understondyng to hole Clothes. |
4. † a. Intelligence, information. Obs.
| 1473 J. Warkworth Chron. 7 [He] had understondynge that Kynge Edwarde was in a vilage. a 1562 G. Cavendish Wolsey (1893) 242 His servaunts..havyng understandyng of my lord's departyng awaye,..began to grudge. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. xvii. 19 b, The day before he had vnderstanding, that the Frigate..was of Malta. |
b. Comprehension of something. rare.
| 1548 Elyot s.v. Intellectus, To atteyn to the knowlage or vnderstandyng of a thyng. |
5. a. a good (or † right) understanding, amicable or friendly relations (between persons).
| 1649 Cromwell Let. 8 March (Carlyle), I trust there will be a right understanding between us, and a good conclusion. 1703 Steele Tender Husb. v. i, I love to promote among my Clients a good Understanding. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 213 We came..to a better understanding about the frigate. 1762 in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. I. 323 To cultivate a good understanding between the two countries. 1833 H. Martineau Loom & Lugger i. iii. 37 The little hope there was of establishing a good understanding between the Coast Guard and the people. 1868 E. Edwards Ralegh I. xii. 230 Ralegh strove to bring about a good understanding between Essex and Cecil. |
| transf. 1765 Sterne Tr. Shandy vii. xix, 'Tis an under⁓craft of authors to keep up a good understanding amongst words, as politicians do amongst men. |
b. A mutual arrangement or agreement of an informal but more or less explicit nature.
| 1803 G. Colman John Bull iii. ii. 37 Sit down, and compose yourself, my love; the gentleman and I shall soon come to an understanding. 1812 Lady Granville Lett. (1894) I. 43 They have, I hear, what is called, come to an understanding. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. xxiii. 164 With this understanding we parted for the night. 1876 Black Madcap Violet xv, I think it is better we should have a distinct understanding about that. |
c. spec. (See quot.)
| 1826 Oxberry's Dram. Biog. V. 97, 20 guineas per week and an understanding at Covent-garden. [Note] By this is meant, certain emoluments..that shall increase the real amount of her salary. |
6. slang or colloq. a. pl. Foot-wear; boots or shoes.
| 1789 G. Parker Life's Painter of Variegated Characters v. 36 He [sc. a cobbler] had frequently furnished men of the first rank (bishops not excepted) with understandings of the best sort. 1822 E. Nathan Langreath I. 29 They have been seen in the act of adapting their nethermost understandings to the costume of the more wealthy. 1838 J. Grant Sk. Lond. 87 His toes began to peep out between the soles and uppers of his ‘understandings’—as he sometimes facetiously called his boots. 1874 Slang Dict. 333 Men who wear exceptionally large or thick boots, are said to possess good understandings. |
b. pl. Legs or feet.
| 1828 Lancet 22 March 920/1 His plump, well-formed, little ‘understandings’ twinkling in the lustre of black silk hose. 1844 ‘Jonathan Slick’ High Life N. York II. 58 She had on a short petticoat that showed a..considerable chunk of understandings. 1856 ‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Rur. Sports 381/2 Discount was..the perfection of a strong, well-bred horse,..if only his understandings had been sound. |
▪ II. underˈstanding, ppl. a.
[f. as prec. + -ing2.]
1. a. Of persons (or animals): Possessed of understanding; having knowledge and judgement; intelligent.
Very common in the 17th century.
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 121 Ðe man is understondinde, þe him seluen cnoweð and gode leueð. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 35 He was boþe gode & wys in alle his dedis, & right vnderstandyng, to help at alle nedis. 1382 Wyclif Deut. iv. 6 A wise puple and an vndirstondynge! c 1440 Promp. Parv. 511 Vnderstondynge, or wytty, intelligens. 1535 Coverdale Deut. iv. 6 What a wyse and vnderstondinge folke is this? 1613 Wither Abuses Stript ii. ii. O 5 b, A selected Crew,..the Wisest, The Vnderstanding'st, yea, and the Precisest Of a whole Empire. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 29 A modest and vnderstanding Gentleman. Ibid. 90 An Elephant (an vnderstanding beast). 1681 Otway Soldier's Fort. v. i, Aristotle..was an understanding fellow. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 42 ¶6 The more understanding Part of the Audience immediately see through it and despise it. 1772 Priestley Inst. Relig. (1782) I. 377 There were among them many..understanding persons. 1817–8 Cobbett Resid. U.S. (1822) 167 One of the most understanding and most worthy men I ever had the honour to be acquainted with. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 132 The Athenians are an understanding people. |
| absol. 1650 R. Gentilis Considerations 194 So that..we may say, that the understandingest doth command by cunning, the most rash by violence. |
b. Const. in (a matter, etc.). Now rare or Obs.
| 1612 Bacon Ess., Of Judicature (Arb.) 458 An ancient Clearke, skilful in presidents,..and vnderstanding in the businesse of the Court. c 1643 Ld. Herbert Autobiog. (1824) 35 Howsoever he was very understanding in all other things, he was noted yet to be of a very high mind. 1732 Ld. Tyrawly in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 381 My Captain, who is a very understanding fellow in these matters. 1755 Mem. Capt. P. Drake I. ii. 19 A very understanding Man in the Business of Cow-stealing. |
2. a. Of the mind, etc.: Endowed the intelligence; intellectual.
| 1382 Wyclif 1 Kings iii. 12 I haue..ȝeuen to thee a wise herte and an vndurstondynge [L. sapiens et intelligens]. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. xxviii. (Bodl. MS.), Kinde ȝeueþ to man vndirstonding instrumentes according to his vertues. 1539 Bible (Great) 1 Kings iii. 9 Geue therfore vnto thy seruaunt an vnderstandyng hert. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 141 Mans will and the understandyng parte of his soule. 1662 H. More Antid. Ath. iii. i. §2 Some free subtile understanding Essence distinct from the brute Matter. 1681 J. Flavel Meth. Grace xxiii. 401 The understanding faculty like a dial is enlightened with the beams of divine truth shining upon it. 1827 Pollok Course T. iii. 636 Be wise, Ye fools! be of an understanding heart. 1853 F. D. Maurice Proph. & Kings v. 78 The understanding heart of Solomon led him to revere as well as to suspect himself. |
b. Of speech: Displaying intelligence. rare—1.
| 1635 J. Taylor (Water P.) Very Old Man C, Loves Company, and Vnderstanding talke. |
† 3. Capable of being understood; intelligible. Obs.
| 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love i. Prol. (Skeat) l. 56 By thilke thinges that ben made understonding here to our wittes. c 1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 93 All þare-by is vnderstandant, and neghys negh, þat þat ys remued of farre. |
4. Of a person, etc.: displaying sympathetic tolerance; of a forgiving nature or temperament.
| 1913 E. C. Bentley Trent's Last Case xiii. 251, I felt that..I must speak to you about this... Because you seemed to me an understanding person. 1929 E. Bowen Last September xviii. 228 You had always been so understanding. 1959 G. Freeman Jack would be Gentleman v. 100 Oh thank you... You are understanding. 1974 ‘R. Tate’ Birds of Bloodied Feather iii. 64 Thank you for writing such an understanding note to me about my sister. |