▪ I. interpret, v.
(ɪnˈtɜːprɪt)
Forms: 4–7 interprete, (5 -pritt), 6 Sc. interpreit, (enterprit), (7 enterpret), 6– interpret. Pa. pple. interpreted; also 5 interpred, 6 interpret.
[a. F. interpréter (13th c. in Littré), or immed. ad. L. interpretārī to explain, expound, translate, understand, also in pass. sense, to be explained, mean, f. interpres, -pret-em an agent, explainer, expounder, translator, dragoman, f. inter between + root corresp. to Skr. prath- to spread abroad.]
1. a. trans. To expound the meaning of (something abstruse or mysterious); to render (words, writings, an author, etc.) clear or explicit; to elucidate; to explain. † Formerly, also, To translate (now only contextually, as included in the general sense).
| 1382 Wyclif Dan. v. 16, I herde of thee, that thou mayst interprete derke thingis, and vnbynde bounden thingis. ― Matt. i. 23 His name shal be clepid Emanuel, that is interpretid [gloss or expounid], God with vs. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 295 b/1 Leuy is interpred assumpte or applyed or putte to. 1513 Douglas æneis ix. Prol. 74 My lewitnes..Schup to enterprit..Thys maist renovnit prince of poetry. 1588 A. King tr. Canisius' Catech. 81 Quhilk words y⊇ kirk hes so diligentlie interpret. 1617 Moryson Itin. i. 242 We returned againe to him, with our Muccaro to interpret our words. 1737 Whiston Josephus, Antiq. Diss. i, According to his usual way of interpreting authors, not to the words but to the sense. 1857 H. Miller Test. Rocks ii. 76 Be it enough for the geologist rightly to interpret the record of creation. 1863 Fawcett Pol. Econ. ii. i. 119 The law interprets..his wishes with regard to the disposal of his property. |
b. To make out the meaning of, explain to oneself.
| 1795 Cowper Pairing Time Antic. 6 The child who knows no better, Than to interpret by the letter A story of a cock and bull. 1866 Geo. Eliot F. Holt i. (1868) 14 That her knowledge of the youth of nineteen might help her little in interpreting the man of thirty-four. 1892 Westcott Gospel of Life 294 It is a final fact of our nature that we must interpret the phenomena of human life. |
c. In recent use: To bring out the meaning of (a dramatic or musical composition, a landscape, etc.) by artistic representation or performance; to give one's own interpretation of; to render.
| 1880 Athenæum 25 Dec. 876/1 The two female characters..were interpreted with striking success. 1888 Mrs. H. Ward R. Elsmere ii. xii, She was playing Wagner, Brahms, and Rubinstein, interpreting all those passionate voices of the subtlest moderns. |
d. To obtain significant information from (a photograph), used esp. of aerial photographs taken for military purposes.
| 1950 A. Lee Soviet Air Force vii. 154 Photographs, developed in mobile front-line vans, were interpreted and the main points signalled..to army and corps headquarters. 1958 C. B. Smith Evidence in Camera i. 21 Although the art of interpreting air photographs had been developed quite a long way in the First World War, in the summer of 1939 there was precisely one experienced interpreter. |
2. a. To give a particular explanation of; to expound or take in a specified manner. Also, To construe (motives, actions, etc.) favourably or adversely. (In quot. 1709, To attribute to.)
| c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 206 As princes of prestis, and Phariseis joyned wiþ hem, wolen interprete Goddis lawe, aff hem shal it be taken. 1484 Caxton Curial 4 b, To make false relacion ne to interprete euyl my worde. 1549 Compl. Scot. To Rdr. 17 Interpreit my intentione fauorablye. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 89 King of Moab, who being besieged..sacrificed his eldest sonne: which yet some interprete of the eldest sonne of the King of Idumæa. 1626 Donne Serm. iv. 35 As thou wouldst be well interpreted by others interpret others well. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxiii. 124 No Commission that can be given them, can be interpreted for a Declaration [etc.]. 1709 Mrs. Manley Secret Mem. (1736) IV. 141 The Difficulty of Access was often interpreted to, what she was not at all guilty of, Pride. 1741 Middleton Cicero I. vi. 457 Commonly interpreted of those of Alexandria. 1758 Smollett Hist. Eng. (1800) II. 227 This transaction was interpreted into a bribe. 1856 Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. v. 393 Each of them perhaps interpreted their engagements by their own wishes or interests. |
† b. To render, explain, or translate by a specified term. Obs.
| 1530–1 Act 22 Hen. VIII, c. 13 No person..being a common Baker, Brewer..shall be interpreted or expounded handicrafts men. 1605 Verstegan Dec. Intell. iii. (1628) 80 Friga is also interpreted for Venus. 1690 Temple Ess., Gardens Epicurus 29 All the sorts of their Mala, which we interpret Apples. |
3. absol. or intr. To make an explanation; to give an exposition; spec. to act as an interpreter or dragoman. † Formerly, also, in general sense, To translate.
| 1382 Wyclif 1 Cor. xii. 30 Wher alle speken with langages? wher alle interpreten [gloss or expownen]? 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 253 To interprete out of the Greeke tongue into the Latine. 1588 R. Parke tr. Mendoza's Hist. China 285 Euery one wil construe and interpret thereon at his pleasure. 1638 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (ed. 2) 38 Pe-unes..ready..to serve you, either to interpret, to runne, go arrands or the like. 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 33 Unskilful with what words to pray, let mee, Interpret for him. 1860 Hawthorne Marb. Faun (Tauchn.) II. vii. 82 Each must interpret for himself. |
† 4. intr. To signify, to mean. Obs.
| 1614 Selden Titles Hon. 107 Sophi by all likelyhood was giuen him with regard to his reformd profession, as the word interprets. |
Hence inˈterpreted ppl. a.; inˈterpreting vbl. n. and ppl. a.
| 1382 Wyclif 1 Cor. xii. 10 Interpretynge [gloss or expownyng] of wordis. c 1500 Melusine 64 Aftir the interpretyng made by you of her owne name. 1659 Pearson Creed (1839) 313 An interpreted and an intended unction of our Saviour. 1892 Pall Mall G. 17 Mar. 2/3 He [Freeman] was an interpreting historian. |
Add: [1.] e. Computing. To subject (a program, instruction, etc.) to the operation of an interpreter (interpreter n. 5 b); to execute (a program) using an interpreter.
| 1965 Computer Jrnl. VIII. 127/2 At any time CONTROL contains the address of the next 6-bit or 12-bit instruction that the Interpreter is going to interpret. 1977 Gloss. Terms Data Processing (B.S.I.) vii. 4/1 Interpret, to translate and to execute each source language statement of a computer program before translating and executing the next statement. 1978 [see dump n.4 1 e]. 1983 R. Fielder in D. E. Dravnieks IBM Personal Computer Handbk. iv. 48/2 When a program is interpreted, each statement is translated and executed before the next statement is processed. 1991 Unix World Aug. 137/1 If you're interpreting the script with the Korn shell and specify the -w option, the new script will report whether the specified command is a reserved word, an alias, an exported alias, [etc.]. |
▪ II. † inˈterpret, n. Obs. rare—1.
[ad. L. interpret-em, or F. interprète (14th c. in Littré).]
An interpreter.
| 1585 Jas. I Ess. Poesie (Arb.) 29 The heauenly Poets..Dame Naturs trunchmen, heauens interprets trewe. |