verbthird conjugation
intellegō
intellegō (present infinitive intellegere, perfect active intellēxī, supine intellēctum)
Classical[ɪnˈtɛl.lɛ.ɡoː]Ecclesiastical[inˈtɛl.le.ɡo]
№ 512 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- to understand, comprehend, realize, come to know
Faciuntne intellegendō ut nīl intellegant?
Is this what they accomplish by learning — that they come to know nothing?166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 17O tempora, o mores! Senatus haec intellegit, consul videt; hic tamen vivit. Vivit?
Shame on the age and on its principles! The senate is aware of these things; the consul sees them; and yet this man lives. Lives!, 1.2 - to perceive, discern, see, observe, recognise; feel, notice
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
mente percipiō, cognōscōintellegō -ere — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 11
to understand
intellegō -ere — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 1, 4, 10
Conjugation conjugation 3
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | intellegō | intellegēbam | intellegam | intellēxī | intellēxeram | intellēxerō |
| 2nd sg. | intellegis | intellegēbās | intellegēs | intellēxistī | intellēxerās | intellēxeris |
| 3rd sg. | intellegit | intellegēbat | intelleget | intellēxit | intellēxerat | intellēxerit |
| 1st pl. | intellegimus | intellegēbāmus | intellegēmus | intellēximus | intellēxerāmus | intellēxerimus |
| 2nd pl. | intellegitis | intellegēbātis | intellegētis | intellēxistis | intellēxerātis | intellēxeritis |
| 3rd pl. | intellegunt | intellegēbant | intellegent | intellēxērunt intellēxēre | intellēxerant | intellēxerint |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | intellegam | intellegerem | intellēxerim | intellēxissem |
| 2nd sg. | intellegās | intellegerēs | intellēxerīs | intellēxissēs |
| 3rd sg. | intellegat | intellegeret | intellēxerit | intellēxisset |
| 1st pl. | intellegāmus | intellegerēmus | intellēxerīmus | intellēxissēmus |
| 2nd pl. | intellegātis | intellegerētis | intellēxerītis | intellēxissētis |
| 3rd pl. | intellegant | intellegerent | intellēxerint | intellēxissent |
passive indicative
| form | present | imperfect | future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | intellegor | intellegēbar | intellegar |
| 2nd sg. | intellegeris intellegere | intellegēbāris intellegēbāre | intellegēris intellegēre |
| 3rd sg. | intellegitur | intellegēbātur | intellegētur |
| 1st pl. | intellegimur | intellegēbāmur | intellegēmur |
| 2nd pl. | intellegiminī | intellegēbāminī | intellegēminī |
| 3rd pl. | intelleguntur | intellegēbantur | intellegentur |
passive subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | intellegar | intellegerer |
| 2nd sg. | intellegāris intellegāre | intellegerēris intellegerēre |
| 3rd sg. | intellegātur | intellegerētur |
| 1st pl. | intellegāmur | intellegerēmur |
| 2nd pl. | intellegāminī | intellegerēminī |
| 3rd pl. | intellegantur | intellegerentur |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | intellege | intellegere |
| pres. 2nd pl. | intellegite | intellegiminī |
| fut. 2nd sg. | intellegitō | intellegitor |
| fut. 3rd sg. | intellegitō | intellegitor |
| fut. 2nd pl. | intellegitōte | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | intelleguntō | intelleguntor |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | intellegere | intellegī |
| perfect infinitive | intellēxisse | intellēctum esse |
| future infinitive | intellēctūrum esse | intellēctum īrī |
| present participle | intellegēns intellegente, intellegentem, intellegentēs, intellegentī, intellegentia, intellegentibus, intellegentis, intellegentīs, intellegentium | — |
| perfect participle | — | intellēctus |
| future participle | intellēctūrus intellēctūra, intellēctūrā, intellēctūrae, intellēctūram, intellēctūrārum, intellēctūrās, intellēctūre, intellēctūrī, intellēctūrīs, intellēctūrō, intellēctūrōrum, intellēctūrōs, intellēctūrum | intellegendus intellegundus |
gerundintellegendī, intellegendō, intellegendumsupineintellēctum, intellēctū
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- hoc per se intellegitur
- that is self-evident, goes without saying.
- quae intellegitur virtus
- what do we mean by "virtue"?
- hoc facile intellegi potest
- that is self-evident, goes without saying.
- quem intellegimus sapientem?
- what do we understand by "a wise man"?
- verbum prorsus nullum intellegere
- not to understand a single word.
- intellegentia or mente multum valere
- to possess great ability.
- existimator (doctus, intellegens, acerrimus)
- a (competent, intelligent, subtle) critic.
- ex quo intellegitur or intellegi potest, debet
- from this it appears, is apparent.
2 more phrases
- iudicium subtile, elegans, exquisitum, intellegens
- good taste; delicate perception.
- (artis, artium) intellegens, peritus (opp. idiota, a layman)
- a connoisseur; a specialist.
intellĕgo (less correctly intellĭgo), exi, ectum (intellexti for intellexisti, Ter. Eun. 4, 6, 30; Cic. Att. 13, 32, 3:
I.
intellexes for intellexisses, Plaut. Cist. 2, 3, 81; subj. perf.: intellegerint, Sall. H. Fragm. 1, 41, 23 Dietsch), 3, v. a. inter-lego, to see into, perceive, understand. I. Lit.
A. To perceive, understand, comprehend:
qualem autem deum intellegere nos possumus nulla virtute praeditum, Cic. N. D. 3, 15, 38 Schoemann ad loc.: haec dumtaxat in Graecis intellego, quae ipsi, qui scripserunt, voluerunt a vulgo intellegi, Cic. de Or. 2, 14: puderet me dicere non intellegere, si vos ipsi intellegeretis, qui ista defenditis, id. N. D. 1, 39: corpus quid sit intellego, id. ib. 1, 26: quare autem in his vis deorum insit, tum intellegam cum cognovero, id. ib. 3, 24: quam sis audax hinc omnes intellegere potuerunt, quod, id. Rosc. Am. 31: magna ex parvis, id. Off. 1, 41: intellexi ex tuis litteris, te audisse, id. Att. 6, 9: de gestu intellego, quid respondeas, id. Vatin. 15: intellegere et sapere plus quam ceteros, id. Off. 2, 14: cernere aliquid animo atque intellegere, id. Top. 5: facile intellectu est, Nep. Dion. 9: intellegi necesse est: esse deos, Cic. N. D. 1, 17; id. Tusc. 3, 5: quocirca intellegi necesse est, in ipsis rebus invitamenta inesse, id. Fin. 5, 11.—In answers, intellego corresponds to our I understand, go on, very well, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 63; Ter. Phorm. 2, 3, 93.— Abl. absol.: intellecto; with rel. clause: quidam bonorum caesi, postquam, intellecto in quos saeviretur, pessimi quoque arma rapuerant, Tac. A. 1, 49; intellecto quantum bellum suscitaret, Just. 38, 3, 6.—B. In partic., to have an accurate knowledge of or skill in a thing, to be a connoisseur:
faciunt intellegendo ut nihil intellegant, Ter. And. prol. 17: tametsi non multum in istis rebus intellego, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 43, § 94: hoc nugatorium sciebam esse, ista intellegere, id. ib. 2, 4, 14, § 33: quoniam non intellexerunt in operibus domini, Lact. 4, 13, 18: illi qui linguam ejus intellegebant, Petr. S. 73, 3; Sen. Apoc. 5, 2.—C. To distinguish:
oraculorum praestigias profani a veritate intellegere non possunt, Lact. 2, 16.— D. To see, perceive, observe by the understanding:
vehementer nunc mihi est irata: sentio atque intellego, Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 64: ubi neque cohortationes suas neque preces audiri intellegit, Caes. B. C. 2, 42: illi, ante inito, ut intellectum est, consilio, id. B. G. 2, 33: intellego, quid loquar, Cic. Lig. 5.— E. Of persons, to understand, comprehend, judge rightly (post-Aug.):
quod Catonem aetas sua parum intellexisset, Sen. de Const. Sap. 1: quando Socrates ab hominibus sui temporis parum intellegebatur, Quint. 11, 1, 10; Vell. 2, 114, 5; Tac. A. 3, 3: quem legatum tribunus ita et intellexit et cepit, ut, etc., Plin. Ep. 8, 23, 5. — F. To understand a language: isti qui linguam avium intellegunt, Pac. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 57, 131 (Trag. v. 83 Rib.):
in iis linguis quas non intellegimus, Cic. Tusc. 5, 40, 116: quantum ego Graece scripta intellegere possum, id. de Or. 2, 13, 55: linguam ejus, Sen. de M. Claud. 5, 2; Petr. 73.— G. To understand by any thing, to take a thing to mean.
1. With in or sub aliqua re, or per aliquid: illa est εὐταξία, in qua intellegitur ordinis conservatio, Cic. Off. 1, 40, 142:
sub hoc themate intellegere non hoc, sed, etc., Sen. Contr. 9, 28, 10: intellego sub hoc verbo multa, id. ib. 1, 2, 15: per nemo homo, Donat. ad Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 1: solem sub appellatione Jovis, Macr. S. 1, 23, 5: per sagittas vim radiorum, id. ib. 1, 17, 12. —2. With two acc.:
non habeo quod intellegam bonum illud, Cic. Tusc. 3, 18, 41. —3. With acc. and abl.: consuetudo omnibus his nominibus Argesten intellegi, Plin. 2, 47, 46, § 121.—
II. Transf., to perceive, discern by the senses; to see, feel, notice. Alcumenam ante aedis stare saturam intellego, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 35: Si. Statum vide hominis, Callipho.... Ca. Bene confidenterque astitisse intellego, id. Ps. 1, 5, 41:
illa quidem primo nullos intellegit ignes, Ov. M. 9, 456: frigus, Col. Arbor. 13: vestigia hominum intellegi a feris, Plin. 8, 16, 21, § 58; 28, 4, 14, § 55.— Hence, in-tellĕgens, entis, P. a., that has understanding or that understands a thing; intelligent, acquainted with. A. In gen.:
semperne vulgi judicium cum intellegentium judicio congruit? Cic. Brut. 49: intellegens dicendi existimator, id. ib. 54: judicium, id. Opt. Gen. Or. 4: vir, id. Fin. 3, 5.—With gen.: cujusvis generis ejus intellegens, id. ib. 2, 20.—Comp.: aliquid intellegentiore mente discutere, Aug. Retract. 1, 19.— B. In partic.
1. Intellegens alicujus, that understands a person, rightly estimates his character:
intellegens principis nostri, cujus videbam hanc esse laudem, Plin. Ep. 6, 27, 2 Döring ad loc.— 2. Well skilled in matters of taste, a connoisseur:
signa pulcherrima quae non modo istum hominem, ingeniosum atque intellegentem, verum etiam quemvis nostrum, quos iste idiotas appellat, delectare possent, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 2, § 4: ut putetur in istis rebus intellegens esse, id. ib. 2. 4, 15, § 33.—Adv.: intellĕgenter, intelligently: ut amice, ut intelligenter, ut attente audiamur, Cic. Part. 8, 28: lectitare, Plin. Ep. 5, 16, 3.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
intellegō (not intelligō), ēxī (intellēxtī, T., C.; intellēgit, S.), ēctus
inter+lego, to come to know, see into, perceive, understand, discern, comprehend, gather: quod ubi intellexi: id quod omnes intellegunt: cum sententia interdicti intellegatur: non intellecta vox, O.: magna ex parvis: ut quid agam intellegas, T.: utrum apud nos officium an timor valeret, Cs.: Quanti me facias, H.: corpus quid sit: ferre me posse intellego: facile intellectu est, N.: intellegi necesse est, esse deos.—Colloq.: intellego, I understand, take, T.—To understand, be master of: Faciuntne intellegendo ut nihil intellegant? i. e. criticise so keenly, T.: non multum in istis rebus: linguam avium: quantum ego Graece scripta intellegere possum.—To see, perceive, discern: quā re hostis adesse intellegitur, S.: ubi neque cohortationes suas neque preces audiri intellegit, Cs.: intellego, quid loquar.
Origins
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁n̥tér
- Proto-Italic*n̥ter
- Latinintellegō
Latin inter- Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *léǵeti Proto-Italic *legō Latin legō? Proto-Indo-European *h₂leg- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h₂légeti Proto-Italic *legō? Latin intellego Most likely from inter (“between”) + legō (“to gather, select, choose”), as in “to discern among” or “to understand”. Another hypothesis suggests that the second component is from the unrelated Proto-Italic *legō (“to care”).
Learned borrowings
- Italianintelligere
- Italianintelligire
- Portugueseinteligir
- Spanishinteligir
Balkano-Romance
- Romanianînțelege
- Aromanianntsileg
- Aromanianntsilegu
- Aromanianntsãleg
- Aromanianntsãlegu
- Istro-Romaniananțeleg
- Megleno-Romanianạnțileg
- Albaniandëgjojfrom Proto-Albanian *intellegɔnjœ
- Albaniandigjojfrom Proto-Albanian *intellegɔnjœ
- Albanianndëgjojfrom Proto-Albanian *intellegɔnjœ
Italo-Western Romance
- Middle Frenchentillerfrom Old French entelgir
- Romanshencleger
- Romanshentelgir
- Romanshantalir
- Romanshincleger
- Basqueindelgatu
- Basqueentelegatu