interpretation

noun

(countable) An act of interpreting or explaining something unclear; a translation; a version.

(countable) A sense given by an interpreter; an exposition or explanation given; meaning.

(uncountable, linguistics, translation studies) The discipline or study of translating one spoken or signed language into another (as opposed to translation, which concerns itself with written language).

(uncountable) The power of explaining.

(countable) An artist's way of expressing thought or embodying a conception of nature through art.

(countable) An act or process of applying general principles or formulae to the explanation of the results obtained in special cases.

(countable, physics) An approximation that allows aspects of a mathematical theory to be discussed in ordinary language.

(countable, logic, model theory) An assignment of a truth value to each propositional symbol of a propositional calculus.

Short for heritage interpretation [(museology, education) The practice and discipline of explaining natural and cultural heritage, used in museums, zoos, historic sites, galleries, etc.]

Roots

interinter- · Latin · between, within pretium-pret · Latin · broker, agent

Synonyms for interpretation

renditionn construaln exegesisn renderingn versionn explicationn translationn elucidationn readingn explanationn

Synonyms & related words for interpretation

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Words related to interpretation

Explore words related to interpretation — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include interpreting, exegetics, interpretational, eisegesis, reinterpretation, interpretative, interpretive, multivocal. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for interpretation

Common synonyms for interpretation include rendition, construal, exegesis, rendering, version, explication, translation, elucidation — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does interpretation come from?

The word interpretation breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: inter-, from Latin inter (“between, within”); and -pret, from Latin pretium (“broker, agent”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.