All 3 Uses of
conceive
in
The War of the Worlds
- At times I suffer from the strangest sense of detachment from myself and the world about me; I seem to watch it all from the outside, from somewhere inconceivably remote, out of time, out of space, out of the stress and tragedy of it all.†
Chpt 1.7 *inconceivably = not able to be believedstandard prefix: The prefix "in-" in inconceivably means not and reverses the meaning of conceivably. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.
- They were, I now saw, the most unearthly creatures it is possible to conceive.†
Chpt 2.2
- That night, as we lurked in the scullery, balanced between our horror and the terrible fascination this peeping had, although I felt an urgent need of action I tried in vain to conceive some plan of escape; but afterwards, during the second day, I was able to consider our position with great clearness.†
Chpt 2.3
Definitions:
-
(1)
(conceive as in: conceive the idea) to originate, understand, or imagine
-
(2)
(conceive as in: conceived their first child) become pregnant or fertilize an egg