comprehension

[kom-pri-hen-shuh n] /ˌkɒm prɪˈhɛn ʃən/
noun
1.
the act or process of comprehending.
2.
the state of being comprehended.
3.
perception or understanding:
His comprehension of physics is amazing for a young student.
4.
capacity of the mind to perceive and understand; power to grasp ideas; ability to know.
5.
Logic. the connotation of a term.
6.
inclusion.
7.
comprehensiveness.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English < Latin comprehēnsiōn- (stem of comprehēnsiō), equivalent to comprehēns(us) (past participle of comprehendere to comprehend) + -iōn- -ion
Related forms
miscomprehension, noun
noncomprehension, noun
precomprehension, noun
supercomprehension, noun
uncomprehension, noun
Examples from the web for comprehension
  • There are several varieties of pointing, and this is important for understanding why dogs' comprehension of the gesture matters.
  • It is followed the next day by a written comprehension test.
  • It is tomorrow's comprehension of life and of its evolution.
  • His pieces move with blazing speed, at times at the limits of comprehension.
  • Speed-reading courses preach a form of skimming that doesn't help comprehension or retention.
  • Children in the treatment group also posted bigger gains in listening and comprehension skills.
  • Until students have a firm comprehension of all those aspects, such projects shouldn't be planned.
  • So the current level of mutual comprehension would deteriorate hugely.
  • The study of cosmic evolution concerns and affects the study and comprehension of each and every subject in the universe.
  • To even get a glimmer of the mirror effect in life is beyond normal comprehension.
British Dictionary definitions for comprehension

comprehension

/ˌkɒmprɪˈhɛnʃən/
noun
1.
the act or capacity of understanding
2.
the state of including or comprising something; comprehensiveness
3.
(education) an exercise consisting of a previously unseen passage of text with related questions, designed to test a student's understanding esp of a foreign language
4.
(logic, obsolete) the attributes implied by a given concept or term; connotation
Word Origin and History for comprehension
n.

mid-15c., from Middle French comprehénsion (15c.), from Latin comprehensionem (nominative comprehensio) "a seizing, laying hold of, arrest," figuratively "perception, comprehension," noun of action from past participle stem of comprehendere (see comprehend). In reading education, from 1921.

comprehension in Medicine

comprehension com·pre·hen·sion (kŏm'prĭ-hěn'shən)
n.
See apperception.