construe
UK[kənˈstruː]US[kənˈstruː]
v
to understand the meaning of a word, sentence, or action in a particular way
v
to analyze the grammatical structure of a sentence, especially in the study of latin or greek
Morpheme Breakdown
con
strue
con
strue
Etymology
the word 'construe' originates from the latin verb 'construere', which meant 'to heap together, build, construct'. this was formed from the prefix 'con-' (together) and 'struere' (to pile up, build). in medieval latin, 'construere' took on the grammatical sense of 'to arrange words syntactically', a meaning that passed into middle english. over time, the focus shifted from the physical act of building to the mental act of constructing meaning, leading to its modern sense of interpreting or understanding something in a specific way.
Analysis
Structure: con + strue
con (latin origin, meaning 'together, with', a prefix indicating combination); strue (from latin 'struere', meaning 'to build, pile up', a verb root)
Examples
his silence could be construed as agreement.
the court construed the law narrowly.
how do you construe his remarks in the context of the meeting?