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I hate the word "understand".

 
 
Sun 5 Oct, 2014 08:20 am
Here's why: "Understand" is a colloquial term to mean you have the intellectual capacity to relate to a particular variant of information.

However, the term "under" is not associated to those features. It's commonly associated to the exact opposite. Such as lacking the intellectual capacity.

The term "stand" is following "under", which is a poor choice of words, hence to be "under" a "stand", is to descend, not ascend.
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timur
 
  1  
Sun 5 Oct, 2014 08:42 am
@One Eyed Mind,
Scratching the surface is not enough.

Go deeper:

Quote:
understand (v.)
Old English understandan "comprehend, grasp the idea of," probably literally "stand in the midst of," from under + standan "to stand" (see stand (v.)). If this is the meaning, the under is not the usual word meaning "beneath," but from Old English under, from PIE *nter- "between, among" (cognates: Sanskrit antar "among, between," Latin inter "between, among," Greek entera "intestines;" see inter-). Related: Understood; understanding

That is the suggestion in Barnhart, but other sources regard the "among, between, before, in the presence of" sense of Old English prefix and preposition under as other meanings of the same word. "Among" seems to be the sense in many Old English compounds that resemble understand, such as underniman "to receive," undersecan "examine, investigate, scrutinize" (literally "underseek"), underĂ°encan "consider, change one's mind," underginnan "to begin." It also seems to be the sense still in expressions such as under such circumstances.

Perhaps the ultimate sense is "be close to;" compare Greek epistamai "I know how, I know," literally "I stand upon." Similar formations are found in Old Frisian (understonda), Middle Danish (understande), while other Germanic languages use compounds meaning "stand before" (German verstehen, represented in Old English by forstanden). For this concept, most Indo-European languages use figurative extensions of compounds that literally mean "put together," or "separate," or "take, grasp" (see comprehend). Old English oferstandan, Middle English overstonden, literally "over-stand" seem to have been used only in literal senses. For "to stand under" in a physical sense, Old English had undergestandan.

Emphasis added..
One Eyed Mind
 
  1  
Sun 5 Oct, 2014 08:45 am
@timur,
Timur, you actually contributed and corrected me successfully. Well done.

Now, this thread has one last issue. Was the term "under" really an applicable conjunction to the word - could they not have chosen a less ambiguous conjunction?

Go on, I'd like for you correct me further.
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contrex
 
  1  
Sun 5 Oct, 2014 09:18 am
@One Eyed Mind,
One Eyed Mind wrote:
Here's why: "Understand" is a colloquial term

It is not colloquial.

One Eyed Mind
 
  1  
Sun 5 Oct, 2014 09:21 am
@contrex,
It's used to communicate, therefore...
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contrex
 
  1  
Sun 5 Oct, 2014 09:23 am
@One Eyed Mind,
One Eyed Mind wrote:
The term "stand" is following "under", which is a poor choice of words, hence to be "under" a "stand", is to descend, not ascend.

You are probably just trolling, or (as usual) blathering loony nonsense, but if not, you are plainly ignorant of the "among, between, before, in the presence of" sense of the Old English prefix and preposition "under", in Old English understandan "comprehend, grasp the idea of," probably literally "stand in the midst of," from under + standan "occupy a place; stand firm; congeal; stay, continue, abide; be valid, be, exist, take place; oppose, resist attack; stand up, be on one's feet; consist, amount to".

One Eyed Mind
 
  1  
Sun 5 Oct, 2014 09:25 am
@contrex,
Do you even read subsequent posts after mine, or do you skim someone's post, quickly wank off on a wall, pointing at it, and then say "that's my thoughts"?
contrex
 
  1  
Sun 5 Oct, 2014 09:56 am
@One Eyed Mind,
One Eyed Mind wrote:
Do you even read subsequent posts after mine

Never.
One Eyed Mind
 
  1  
Sun 5 Oct, 2014 10:05 am
@contrex,
Well then, I guess you counted the chickens before they hatched.
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