understander

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English understander, understondere, equivalent to understand +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌəndɚˈstændɚ/

Noun

understander (plural understanders)

1. One who understands something.

   I am not a speed reader, I am a speed understander.

   • 1955 October, Rex Stout, “Die Like a Dog”, in Three Witnesses, Bantam, published 1994, →ISBN, page 166:

     "You knew Mr. Kampf intimately?"
     "Yes, I guess so." She smiled as one understander to another.

   • 2009 January 23, Virginia Heffernan, “Confessions of a TED Addict”, in New York Times‎:

     These are the people of the brain, after all, the understanders.

Translations

one who understands

Catalan: entenedor m, entenedora f German: Versteher (de) m, Versteherin f Ingrian: arvaaja Portuguese: entendedor (pt) m, entendedora f Spanish: entendedor (es) m, entendedora (es) f

Etymology 2

From under +‎ stander.

Alternative forms

• under-stander, under stander

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈəndɚˌstændɚ/

Noun

understander (plural understanders)

1. (circus, acrobatics) One who physically supports a formation of acrobats, as a human pyramid.

   Synonym: (US) bottom man

   He was a strongman and an understander for the acrobats.

Anagrams

• reunderstand