Understand, Overstand
In some ways, understand seems like such an odd word. When you understand something, what are you standing under?!
How interesting that you can take two words, ‘under’ and ‘stand’, each of which means something different, and combine them to make a third word which is unrelated to the words which comprise it. Or is it? I think I need to get to the bottom of this.
Under
Under has always been under. The word under, as part of the word understand, has its origins in two different Proto-Indo-European words which over the centuries combined to form the Old English word under.
First, Old English under comes from PIE ndher (under). Among the many other meanings and uses of this Old English word, the one which is most relevant to understanding ‘understand’ is the sense of under as ‘among’ (e.g., the lost coin was found among the fallen leaves).
Second, the use of Old English under specifically as ‘among’ comes from PIE nter (among, between), the source of Greek entera (intestines) and Latin inter (among, between).
In brief, in its origins, under is related to things being among, between, and under each other.
Stand
Stand is also relatively unchanged from its origins in PIE sta (to stand, to make firm or to be firm). Among other things, Old English standan meant to stand firm, to abide, to be valid, to exist (to be present), stand up.
Understand
Originally, the Old English word understandan probably meant literally ‘to stand firm in the midst of’; and later meant to comprehend, to grasp the idea of, to ‘get it’. In this case, the under in understand is usually taken to mean between or among, from PIE nter and Latin inter. The related Greek word episamai (to be close to) means “I know how, I know it”; literally, “I stand upon”—this is where I stand on the matter.
The word understanding (mutual agreement) is first seen in English in 1803 and comes from Old English understandincge (comprehension). The word understandable meaning ‘able to understand’ is from the 14th century; and, meaning ‘able to be understood’ is from the 15th century.
In brief, to understand is to be interacting or engaged in something, to be close to something, or to be in the middle of something. Understanding, in such a context, is not just knowing something (i.e., knowing ‘what’ or ‘how’) but a deeper and more thorough knowing (i.e., knowing ‘why’). It can also be said that understanding is as much about ‘doing’ as about ‘knowing’.
The word under is also related in meaning to the word bottom, a word which in its origins is related to the 13th century words fundament and fundamental from Latin fundamentum (foundation, groundwork, support, beginning). In Medieval English, fundament also meant a person’s buttocks.
To understand is to get to the bottom of something.
Overstand??
Is there such a word? The word epistemology (the study and theory of the nature of knowledge) comes from Greek epistasthai (to know how to understand; literally ‘to overstand’) from epi (over, near) + histasthai (to stand). The word epistemology was coined in 1856 by the Scottish philosopher James F. Ferrier (1808 – 1864).
Perhaps you have to ‘stand over’ or ‘stand back’ from something you ‘understand’ in order to know what you know!
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
How interesting that you can take two words, ‘under’ and ‘stand’, each of which means something different, and combine them to make a third word which is unrelated to the words which comprise it. Or is it? I think I need to get to the bottom of this.
Under
Under has always been under. The word under, as part of the word understand, has its origins in two different Proto-Indo-European words which over the centuries combined to form the Old English word under.
First, Old English under comes from PIE ndher (under). Among the many other meanings and uses of this Old English word, the one which is most relevant to understanding ‘understand’ is the sense of under as ‘among’ (e.g., the lost coin was found among the fallen leaves).
Second, the use of Old English under specifically as ‘among’ comes from PIE nter (among, between), the source of Greek entera (intestines) and Latin inter (among, between).
In brief, in its origins, under is related to things being among, between, and under each other.
Stand
Stand is also relatively unchanged from its origins in PIE sta (to stand, to make firm or to be firm). Among other things, Old English standan meant to stand firm, to abide, to be valid, to exist (to be present), stand up.
Understand
Originally, the Old English word understandan probably meant literally ‘to stand firm in the midst of’; and later meant to comprehend, to grasp the idea of, to ‘get it’. In this case, the under in understand is usually taken to mean between or among, from PIE nter and Latin inter. The related Greek word episamai (to be close to) means “I know how, I know it”; literally, “I stand upon”—this is where I stand on the matter.
The word understanding (mutual agreement) is first seen in English in 1803 and comes from Old English understandincge (comprehension). The word understandable meaning ‘able to understand’ is from the 14th century; and, meaning ‘able to be understood’ is from the 15th century.
In brief, to understand is to be interacting or engaged in something, to be close to something, or to be in the middle of something. Understanding, in such a context, is not just knowing something (i.e., knowing ‘what’ or ‘how’) but a deeper and more thorough knowing (i.e., knowing ‘why’). It can also be said that understanding is as much about ‘doing’ as about ‘knowing’.
The word under is also related in meaning to the word bottom, a word which in its origins is related to the 13th century words fundament and fundamental from Latin fundamentum (foundation, groundwork, support, beginning). In Medieval English, fundament also meant a person’s buttocks.
To understand is to get to the bottom of something.
Overstand??
Is there such a word? The word epistemology (the study and theory of the nature of knowledge) comes from Greek epistasthai (to know how to understand; literally ‘to overstand’) from epi (over, near) + histasthai (to stand). The word epistemology was coined in 1856 by the Scottish philosopher James F. Ferrier (1808 – 1864).
Perhaps you have to ‘stand over’ or ‘stand back’ from something you ‘understand’ in order to know what you know!
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
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