verb (used with object), con·strued, con·stru·ing.
- to give the meaning or intention of; explain; interpret.
- to deduce by inference or interpretation; infer: He construed her intentions from her gestures.
- to translate, especially orally.
- to analyze the syntax of; to rehearse the applicable grammatical rules of: to construe a sentence.
- to arrange or combine (words, phrases, etc.) syntactically.
verb (used without object), con·strued, con·stru·ing.
- to admit of grammatical analysis or interpretation.
noun
- the act of construing.
- something that is construed.
verb -strues, -struing or -strued (mainly tr)
- to interpret the meaning of (something)you can construe that in different ways
- (may take a clause as object) to discover by inference; deduce
- to analyse the grammatical structure of; parse (esp a Latin or Greek text as a preliminary to translation)
- to combine (words) syntactically
- (also intr) old-fashioned to translate literally, esp aloud as an academic exercise
noun
- old-fashioned something that is construed, such as a piece of translation
v.late 14c., from Late Latin construere “to relate grammatically,” in classical Latin “to build up, pile together” (see construction); also see construct (v.), which is a later acquisition of the same word. Related: Construed; construing; construal.