Word: construe (verb)

Associations

"Construe" means to understand or explain the meaning of something, especially words or actions. It is often used in formal or academic contexts.

• Example 1: "How do you construe his silence?" — Here, it means "How do you interpret his silence?"
• Example 2: "The judge construed the law in favor of the defendant." — This means the judge interpreted the law in a certain way.
• Example 3: "Her words can be construed as a threat." — This means her words can be understood or seen as threatening. A similar word is "interpret," but "construe" is often more formal and can imply a careful or legal understanding.

Substitution

You can replace "construe" with:

• interpret (more common and general)
• understand (more simple)
• explain (if you mean to clarify meaning) Using "interpret" is closest, but "construe" often suggests a detailed or careful explanation.

Deconstruction

The word "construe" comes from Latin "construere," which means "to build together."

• "con-" means "together"
• "struere" means "to build" So, to "construe" is like "building together" the meaning of words or actions.

Inquiry

• How would you construe a message that is unclear or ambiguous?
• Can you think of a time when someone’s words were construed in a way they did not intend?
• How does construe differ from simply misunderstanding something?