Com`pre*hen"sion (?), n.
[L. comprehensio: cf. F.
compréhension.]
1. The act of
comprehending, containing, or comprising; inclusion.
In the Old Testament there is a close comprehension of the New; in the New, an open discovery of the Old.
Hooker.
2. That which is comprehended or inclosed within narrow limits; a summary; an epitome. [Obs.]
Though not a
catalogue of fundamentals,
yet . . . a comprehension of them.
Chillingworth.
3. The capacity of the mind to perceive and understand; the power, act, or
process of grasping with the intellect; perception; understanding; as, a comprehension of abstract
principles.
4. (Logic) The complement of attributes which make up
the notion signified by a general
term.
5. (Rhet.)
A figure by which the
name of a whole is put
for a part,
or that of a part for a whole, or a definite number for an
indefinite.
Hear it pronounced