All 11 Uses of
comprehend
in
Catch-22
- 7 McWATT Ordinarily, Yossarian's pilot was McWatt, who, shaving in loud red, clean pajamas outside his tent each morning, was one of the odd, ironic, incomprehensible things surrounding Yossarian.†
Chpt 7 *incomprehensible = not understandablestandard prefix: The prefix "in-" in incomprehensible means not and reverses the meaning of comprehensible. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.
- 'I don't know,' the chaplain wailed softly in a quavering voice, squinting with grotesque contortions of anguish and incomprehension.†
Chpt 20incomprehension = lack of understanding of somethingstandard prefix: The prefix "in-" in incomprehension means not and reverses the meaning of comprehension. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.
- Major — de Coverley was an ominous, incomprehensible presence who kept him constantly on edge and of whom even Colonel Korn tended to be wary.†
Chpt 21incomprehensible = not understandablestandard prefix: The prefix "in-" in incomprehensible means not and reverses the meaning of comprehensible. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.
- Comprehension dawned slowly on Colonel Cathcart; when it came, he was struck dumb.†
Chpt 21comprehension = the understanding of something
- The chaplain would encourage Nately with nods of comprehension or assent, amused by his candor and immaturity.†
Chpt 25
- The chaplain looked at him in an uncomprehending daze.†
Chpt 25uncomprehending = not understandingstandard prefix: The prefix "un-" in uncomprehending means not and reverses the meaning of comprehending. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.
- Yossarian was puzzled by Doc Daneeka's inability to comprehend.†
Chpt 27comprehend = understand -- especially to understand it completely
- Colonel Scheisskopf, squinting, moved very close to the map, and for the first time since he entered the room a light of comprehension shed a dim glow over his stolid face.†
Chpt 29comprehension = the understanding of something
- Yossarian squinted at her uncomprehendingly.†
Chpt 34uncomprehendingly = without understandingstandard prefix: The prefix "un-" in uncomprehendingly means not and reverses the meaning of comprehendingly. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.
- 'Yes, Sergeant,' he said slowly with an uncomprehending frown.†
Chpt 37uncomprehending = not understandingstandard prefix: The prefix "un-" in uncomprehending means not and reverses the meaning of comprehending. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.
- He lost patience entirely with the whole grotesque and incomprehensible melee.†
Chpt 38incomprehensible = not understandablestandard prefix: The prefix "in-" in incomprehensible means not and reverses the meaning of comprehensible. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.
Definitions:
-
(1)
(comprehend) to understand something -- especially to understand it completely
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely (and more frequently in the past), comprehend can mean to include as part of something broader. That was the first sense of the word listed in Webster's Dictionary of 1828 with this sample sentence: "The empire of Great Britain comprehends England, Scotland and Ireland, with their dependencies."