interpretation

American  

[in-tur-pri-tey-shuhn] / ɪnˌtɜr prɪˈteɪ ʃən /

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.

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interpretation British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of interpretation

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

Example Sentences

This uncertainty, encompassing the two likeliest of possible interpretations, has prompted some experts to suggest those titles as more accurate descriptions of the painting.

From The Wall Street Journal

California’s new regulations, to be enacted in April, are meant to end a legal interpretation that allowed card clubs to offer blackjack and other banked games where players play against the house.

From Los Angeles Times

The company’s initial performance contains two one-act plays, modern interpretations of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

From Los Angeles Times

With this album, it is so specifically this thing in my head and it can’t be up for interpretation because it just feels like my life and it feels like my childhood.

From Los Angeles Times

“I was enjoying being in this character so much, I just wouldn’t stop,” Pedretti says, adding that Alloway, who was sensitive to cast members’ interpretations of their roles, supported experimentation.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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