Definition of: understanding

(un′dər·stan′ding) noun
1. The act of one who understands, or the resulting state; intellectual apprehension; mental discernment; comprehension.
2. The power by which one understands.
3. The sum of the mental powers by which knowledge is acquired, retained, and extended; the power of apprehending relations and making inferences from them.
4. The facts or elements of a case as apprehended by any one intelligence; an individual view of a case; opinion.
5. An agreement between two or more persons; an informal or confidential compact; also, the subject of such compact; the thing agreed on; sometimes, an arrangement or settlement of differences, or of disputed points: That was not our understanding; They have come to an understanding.
—adjective Possessing comprehension and good sense.
—un′der·stand′ing·ly adverb
—un′der·stand′ing·ness noun Synonyms (noun): apprehension, comprehension, discernment, intellect, intelligence, judgment, mind, perception, reason. See INTELLECT, MIND, WISDOM.