interpretation

[in-tur-pri-tey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of interpreting; elucidation; explication.

   This writer's work demands interpretation.

2. an explanation of the meaning of another's artistic or creative work; an elucidation.

   an interpretation of a poem.

3. a conception of another's behavior.

   a charitable interpretation of his tactlessness.

4. a way of interpreting.

5. the rendering of a dramatic part, music, etc., so as to bring out the meaning, or to indicate one's particular conception of it.

6. oral translation.

interpretation

/ ɪnˌtɜːprɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of interpreting or explaining; elucidation

2. the result of interpreting; an explanation

3. a particular view of an artistic work, esp as expressed by stylistic individuality in its performance

4. explanation, as of the environment, a historical site, etc, provided by the use of original objects, personal experience, visual display material, etc

5. logic an allocation of significance to the terms of a purely formal system, by specifying ranges for the variables, denotations for the individual constants, etc; a function from the formal language to such elements of a possible world

Other Word Forms

• interpretational adjective
• noninterpretational adjective
• overinterpretation noun
• preinterpretation noun
• reinterpretation noun
• self-interpretation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of interpretation¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin interpretātiōn-, stem of interpretātiō; equivalent to interpret ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Example Sentences

That’s because, despite the game’s clear rules, many calls in soccer remain open to interpretation and timing.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Each of the four objects analyzed in this study is also consistent with a galaxy interpretation, as shown in the literature.

Read more on Science Daily

The same is true of the Gingles interpretation of Section 2.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

This interpretation has sparked debate among statisticians, with some arguing that probability should represent objective frequency rather than subjective confidence.

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Since 2021, the Taliban government has imposed numerous restrictions in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law which have severely impacted the rights of Afghan women and girls.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• analysis 
• clarification 
• explanation 
• judgment 
• meaning 
• perception 
• reading 
• translation