Interpret

• POS: Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)
• HYPHEN: in=ter=pret

CIDE DICTIONARY

Interpret, v. t. [F. interprêter, L. interpretari, p. p. interpretatus, fr. interpres interpeter, agent, negotiator; inter between + (prob.) the root of pretium price. See Price.].

•  To explain or tell the meaning of; to expound; to translate orally into intelligible or familiar language or terms; to decipher; to define; -- applied esp. to language, but also to dreams, signs, conduct, mysteries, etc.; as, to interpret the Hebrew language to an Englishman; to interpret an Indian speech.  [1913 Webster]

  "Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."  [1913 Webster]

  "And Pharaoh told them his dreams; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh."  [1913 Webster]
•  To apprehend and represent by means of art; to show by illustrative representation; as, an actor interprets the character of Hamlet; a musician interprets a sonata; an artist interprets a landscape.

Syn. -- To translate; explain; solve; render; expound; elucidate; decipher; unfold; unravel.

Interpret, v. i. 

 To act as an interpreter.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Interpret, v. (interpreted, interpreting)
1 tr. explain the meaning of (foreign or abstruse words, a dream, etc.).
2 tr. make out or bring out the meaning of (creative work).
3 intr. act as an interpreter, esp. of foreign languages.
4 tr. explain or understand (behaviour etc.) in a specified manner (interpreted his gesture as mocking).

Derivative

interpretable adj. interpretability n. interpretation n. interpretational adj. interpretative adj. interpretive adj. interpretively adv.

Etymology

ME f. OF interpreter or L interpretari explain, translate f. interpres -pretis explainer

THESAURUS

Interpret

accompany, annotate, answer, bottom, chord, clarify, clear up, comment, commentate, concertize, construe, crack, debug, decipher, decode, define, delineate, depict, describe, diagnose, disentangle, divine, do, dope, dope out, elucidate, execute, exemplify, explain, explicate, expound, fathom, figure out, find out, find the answer, find the solution, get, get right, gloss, guess, guess right, have it, hit it, illuminate, illustrate, image, limn, make music, make out, open the lock, paraphrase, perform, picture, play, play by ear, plumb, portray, psych, psych out, puzzle out, ravel, ravel out, read, read into, render, resolve, riddle, simplify, solve, sort out, spell out, symphonize, take, take it that, take to mean, translate, understand, understand by, undo, unlock, unravel, unriddle, unscramble, untangle, untwist, unweave, work, work out

ROGET THESAURUS

Interpret

Discovery

VB discover, find, determine, evolve, learn, fix upon, pick up, find out, trace out, make out, hunt out, fish out, worm out, ferret out, root out, fathom, bring out, draw out, educe, elicit, bring to light, dig out, grub up, fish up, unearth, disinter, solve, resolve, elucidate, unriddle, unravel, unlock, crack, crack open, pick up, open the lock, find a clue, find clew a to, find the key to the riddle, interpret, disclose, trace, get at, hit it, have it, lay one's finger, lay one's hands upon, spot, get at the truth, arrive at the truth, put the saddle on the right horse, hit the right nail on the head, be near the truth, be warm, get warmer, burn, smoke, scent, sniff, catch a whiff of, smell a rat, open the eyes to, see through, see daylight, see in its true colors, see the cloven foot, detect, catch, catch tripping, pitch upon, fall upon, light upon, hit upon, stumble upon, pop upon, come across, come onto, meet with, meet up with, fall in with, recognize, realize, verify, make certain of, identify, Int, eureka!, aha!, I've got it!.

Interpretation

VB interpret, explain, define, construe, translate, render, do into, turn into, transfuse the sense of, find out, 1 the meaning of, read, spell out, make out, decipher, unravel, disentangle, find the key of, enucleate, resolve, solve, read between the lines, account for, find the cause, tell the cause of, throw light upon, shed light upon, shed new light upon, shed fresh light upon, clear up, clarify, elucidate, illustrate, exemplify, unfold, expound, comment upon, annotate, popularize, take in a particular sense, understand in a particular sense, receive in a particular sense, accept in a particular sense, understand by, put a construction on, be given to understand.