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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English construen, from Late Latin construo, construere (“to relate grammatically”), from Latin construo (“pile together”); doublet of construct.
Pronunciation
Noun
construe (plural construes)
- A translation.
- An interpretation.
Related terms
Translations
interpretation
- Bulgarian: тълкуване (bg) n (tǎlkuvane)
- Dutch: interpretatie (nl)
- Esperanto: interpreto
- German: Interpretation (de) f, Auslegung (de) f, Deutung (de) f, Analyse (de) f, Auffassung (de) f, Ableitung (de) f
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: tolkning m or f, fortolkning m or f, oppfatning (no) m or f
- Polish: interpretacja (pl) f, tłumaczenie (pl) n
- Portuguese: interpretação (pt) f
- Russian: толкова́ние (ru) n (tolkovánije), истолкова́ние (ru) n (istolkovánije)
- Swedish: tolkning (sv), uppfattning (sv)
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Verb
construe (third-person singular simple present construes, present participle construing, simple past and past participle construed)
- (transitive) To understand (something) as meaning, to take to mean.
1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 110, column 1:Bru[tus]. […] But let not therefore my good Friends be greeu'd
(Among which number Cassius be you one)
Nor conſtrue any further my neglect,
Then that poore Brutus with himſelfe at warre,
Forgets the ſhews of Loue to other men.
- (transitive) To interpret (something) to another or publicly, explain the meaning (of something), usually language.
1750, “To , Feb. 25. — Ministerial quarrels ”, in The Letter of Horace Walpole, Earl of Oxford, volume II, London: Richard Betley, New Burlington Street, published 1840, page 319:This is a new fashionable proverb, which I must construe to you.
- (grammar, transitive) To analyze the grammatical structure of a clause or sentence; to parse.
1988, Andrew Radford, chapter 8, in Transformational grammar: a first course, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, page 436:Thus, in a sentence such as:
(113) John considers [S Fred to be too sure of himself]
the italicised Reflexive himself can only be construed with Fred, not with John: this follows from our assumption that non-subject Reflexives must have an antecedent within their own S. Notice, however, that in a sentence such as:
(114) John seems to me [S — to have perjured himself]
himself must be construed with John.
- (grammar, ergative) To admit of grammatical analysis.
- (transitive) To translate.
- To infer.
- (obsolete) To explain.
1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 116, column 2:Bru[tus]. […] Portia go in a while,
And by and by thy boſome ſhall partake
The ſecrets of my Heart.
All my engagements, I will construe to thee,
All the Charractery of my ſad browes.
Derived terms
Translations
to interpret or explain the meaning of something
- Bulgarian: тълкувам (bg) (tǎlkuvam)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 識解/识解 (shíjiě)
- Dutch: begrijpen (nl), uitleggen (nl)
- Esperanto: konjekti, klarigi (eo)
- Finnish: tulkita (fi)
- French: expliquer (fr), comprendre (fr)
- German: auslegen (de), deuten (de), interpretieren (de), verbinden (de), ableiten (de), auffassen (de), bilden (de)
- Hungarian: értelmez (hu)
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: tolke, oppfatte (no)
- Polish: interpretować (pl), tłumaczyć (pl)
- Russian: толкова́ть (ru) (tolkovátʹ), истолковывать (ru) (istolkovyvatʹ)
- Spanish: interpretar (es), comprender (es), entender (es)
- Swedish: tolka (sv), förstå (sv), uppfatta (sv)
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to analyze the grammatical structure
References
- ^ “Construe” in John Walker, A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary , London: Sold by G. G. J. and J. Robinſon, Paternoſter Row; and T. Cadell, in the Strand, 1791, →OCLC, page 162: “Thoſe who ought to be the guardians of propriety are often the perverters of it. Hence Accidence for Accidents, Prepoſtor for Prepoſitor and Conſtur for Conſtrue ”.
Anagrams
Latin
Verb
cōnstrue
- second-person singular present active imperative of cōnstruō