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interpretation

[ in-tur-pri-tey-shuh n ]
/ ɪnˌtɜr prɪˈteɪ ʃən /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR interpretation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of interpreting; elucidation; explication: This writer's work demands interpretation.
an explanation of the meaning of another's artistic or creative work; an elucidation: an interpretation of a poem.
a conception of another's behavior: a charitable interpretation of his tactlessness.
a way of interpreting.
the rendering of a dramatic part, music, etc., so as to bring out the meaning, or to indicate one's particular conception of it.
oral translation.

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RELATED WORDS

perception, clarification, explanation, analysis, meaning, translation, reading, judgment, knowing, grip, apprehension, slant, insight, assimilation, discernment, comprehension, grasp, awareness

Nearby words

  1. interpolator,
  2. interpose,
  3. interposition,
  4. interpret,
  5. interpretable,
  6. interpretative,
  7. interpreted language,
  8. interpreter,
  9. interpretive,
  10. interpretive centre

Origin of interpretation

1250–1300; Middle English < Latin interpretātiōn- (stem of interpretātiō). See interpret, -ation
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for interpretation

British Dictionary definitions for interpretation

interpretation

/ (ɪnˌtɜːprɪˈteɪʃən) /

noun

the act or process of interpreting or explaining; elucidation
the result of interpreting; an explanation
a particular view of an artistic work, esp as expressed by stylistic individuality in its performance
explanation, as of the environment, a historical site, etc, provided by the use of original objects, personal experience, visual display material, etc
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
Derived Formsinterpretational, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for interpretation

interpretation

n.

mid-14c. (late 13c. in Anglo-French), from Old French interpretacion (12c.) and directly from Latin interpretationem (nominative interpretatio) "explanation, exposition," noun of action from past participle stem of interpretari (see interpret).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for interpretation

interpretation

[ ĭn-tûr′prĭ-tā′shən ]

n.

The act or process of explaining the meaning of something.
A psychotherapist's explanation of the meaning of a patient's remarks, dreams, memories, experiences, and behavior.
Related formsin•ter′pret v.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.