interpretation

[ in-tur-pri-tey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for interpretation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of interpreting; elucidation; explication: This writer's work demands interpretation.

  2. an explanation of the meaning of another's artistic or creative work; an elucidation: an interpretation of a poem.

  1. a conception of another's behavior: a charitable interpretation of his tactlessness.

  2. a way of interpreting.

  3. the rendering of a dramatic part, music, etc., so as to bring out the meaning, or to indicate one's particular conception of it.

  4. oral translation.

Origin of interpretation

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin interpretātiōn-, stem of interpretātiō; equivalent to interpret + -ation

Other words from interpretation

  • in·ter·pre·ta·tion·al, adjective
  • non·in·ter·pre·ta·tion·al, adjective
  • o·ver·in·ter·pre·ta·tion, noun
  • pre·in·ter·pre·ta·tion, noun
  • re·in·ter·pre·ta·tion, noun
  • self-in·ter·pre·ta·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for interpretation

interpretation

/ (ɪnˌtɜːprɪˈteɪʃən) /


noun
  1. the act or process of interpreting or explaining; elucidation

  2. the result of interpreting; an explanation

  1. a particular view of an artistic work, esp as expressed by stylistic individuality in its performance

  2. explanation, as of the environment, a historical site, etc, provided by the use of original objects, personal experience, visual display material, etc

  3. logic an allocation of significance to the terms of a purely formal system, by specifying ranges for the variables, denotations for the individual constants, etc; a function from the formal language to such elements of a possible world

Derived forms of interpretation

  • interpretational, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012