conceive

[kuh n-seev]

verb (used with object), con·ceived, con·ceiv·ing.

to form (a notion, opinion, purpose, etc.): He conceived the project while he was on vacation.

to form a notion or idea of; imagine.

to hold as an opinion; think; believe: I can't conceive that it would be of any use.

to experience or form (a feeling): to conceive a great love for music.

to express, as in words.

to become pregnant with.

to beget.

to begin, originate, or found (something) in a particular way (usually used in the passive): a new nation conceived in liberty.

Archaic. to understand; comprehend.

verb (used without object), con·ceived, con·ceiv·ing.

to form an idea; think (usually followed by of).

to become pregnant.

Origin of conceive

1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French conceivre < Latin concipere to take fully, take in, equivalent to con- con- + -cipere, combining form of capere to take

Related formscon·ceiv·er, nounnon·con·ceiv·ing, noun, adjectivere·con·ceive, verb, re·con·ceived, re·con·ceiving.un·con·ceived, adjectivewell-con·ceived, adjective

Synonyms for conceive

2, 8. See imagine.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for well-conceived

Contemporary Examples of well-conceived

Indeed, even the most well-conceived and precisely executed military campaign would have unintended consequences.
Why Obama Won't Back a Strike on Iran
Andrew Bast
February 26, 2012
The fullness of life arrived through characters so well-conceived they were startling.
David Mills' Gift to Television
Stanley Crouch
April 5, 2010

Historical Examples of well-conceived

It was a well-conceived idea, but unfortunate for the Indian.
The Scalp Hunters
Mayne Reid
Very dramatically told, and a well-conceived and thrilling narrative.
Timar's Two Worlds
Mr Jkai
In an instant his well-conceived project had gone by the board.
Cynthia's Chauffeur
Louis Tracy
They were treated, unexpectedly, to a well-conceived anticlimax.
Hyacinth
George A. Birmingham
The situation is a well-conceived one, and described with spirit.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine--Vol. 54, No. 333, July 1843
Various

British Dictionary definitions for well-conceived

conceive

verb

(when intr, foll by of; when tr, often takes a clause as object) to have an idea (of); imagine; think

(tr; takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to hold as an opinion; believe

(tr) to develop or form, esp in the mindshe conceived a passion for music

to become pregnant with (young)

(tr) rare to express in words

Derived Formsconceiver, noun

Word Origin for conceive

C13: from Old French conceivre, from Latin concipere to take in, from capere to take

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 well-conceived

conceive

late 13c., conceiven, "take (seed) into the womb, become pregnant," from stem of Old French conceveir (Modern French concevoir), from Latin concipere (past participle conceptus) "to take in and hold; become pregnant," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + comb. form of capere "to take," from PIE *kap- "to grasp" (see capable). Meaning "take into the mind" is from mid-14c., a figurative sense also found in the Old French and Latin words. Related: Conceived; conceiving.

well-conceived in Medicine

conceive

[kən-sēv′]

v.

To become pregnant.

To apprehend mentally; to understand.