n-stroo or, especially Brit., kon-stroo; n. kon-stroo]
verb, -strued, -stru⋅ing, noun | 1. | to give the meaning or intention of; explain; interpret. |
| 2. | to deduce by inference or interpretation; infer: He construed her intentions from her gestures. |
| 3. | to translate, esp. orally. |
| 4. | to analyze the syntax of; to rehearse the applicable grammatical rules of: to construe a sentence. |
| 5. | to arrange or combine (words, phrases, etc.) syntactically. |
| 6. | to admit of grammatical analysis or interpretation. |
| 7. | the act of construing. |
| 8. | something that is construed. |
con·strue (kən-strōō') v. con·strued, con·stru·ing, con·strues v. tr.
An interpretation or translation. [Middle English construen, from Late Latin cōnstruere, from Latin, to build; see construct.] con·stru'al n. |