To give or provide the meaning of.
To ascribe a particular meaning or significance to something.
To try to make understandable something that is dense, complicated, or ambiguous.
Related concept: → explain.
Physics: To relate a mathematical → formalism
to physical → observables. → interpretation.
Etymology (EN): From M.E. interpreten, from
L. interpretari “explain, expound, understand,” from
interpres “agent, translator,” from → inter-
- pres of uncertain origin.
Etymology (PE): Âzand, from â- nuance/intensive prefix + Mid.Pers. zand
“interpretation, commentary; knowledge” (zandik “gnostic; heretic”);
Av. zan- “to know, recognize;”
O.Pers. dan- “to know” (Mid./Mod.Pers. dân-, dânestan
“to know”); variant O.Pers./Av. xšnā- “to know, learn, come to know,
recognize” (Mid./Mod.Pers. šenâxtan, šenâs-
“to recognize, to know” ); cf.
Skt. jñā- “to recognize, know,” jānāti “he knows;” Gk.
gignoskein “to know, think, judge,”
cognate with L. gnoscere, noscere “to come to know” (Fr. connaître;
Sp. conocer); O.E. cnawan, E. know; Rus. znat “to know;”
PIE base *gno- “to know” + -idan infinitive suffix;
kardan verb of compound infinitives, → -ize.
