conceive

conceive
con|ceive [kənˈsi:v] v
[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: conceivre, from Latin concipere 'to take in, conceive', from com- ( COM-) + capere 'to take']
1.) [I and T] formal
to imagine a particular situation or to think about something in a particular way
(cannot) conceive of (doing) sth
▪ Many people can't conceive of a dinner without meat or fish.
conceive that
▪ He could not conceive that anything really serious could be worrying his friend.
conceive what/why/how etc
▪ I can hardly conceive what it must be like here in winter.
conceive of sth/sb as sth
▪ Language may be conceived of as a process which arises from social interaction.
2.) [T]
to think of a new idea, plan etc and develop it in your mind
▪ Scientists first conceived the idea of the atomic bomb in the 1930's.
3.) [I and T]
to become ↑pregnant
▪ fertility treatment for women who have difficulty conceiving

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?
Synonyms:
, , / (in the mind), , , , , , , , / , , , , , , , , , / , , , , / , , , / , , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Conceive — Con*ceive , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Conceived}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Conceiving}.] [OF. conzoivre, concever, conceveir, F. concevoir, fr. L. oncipere to take, to conceive; con + capere to seize or take. See {Capable}, and cf. {Conception}.] 1. To… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Conceive — Con*ceive , v. i. 1. To have an embryo or fetus formed in the womb; to breed; to become pregnant. [1913 Webster] A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son. Isa. vii. 14. [1913 Webster] 2. To have a conception, idea, or opinion; think; with of.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • conceive — I (comprehend) verb absorb, accept, appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, conceptualize, conjure up, digest, discern, envisage, envision, fathom, figure out, form a conception, grasp, have an idea, ideate, image, imagine, know, perceive, picture,… …   Law dictionary

  • conceive — [v1] understand accept, appreciate, apprehend, assume, believe, catch, compass, comprehend, deem, dig, envisage, expect, fancy, feel, follow, gather, get, grasp, imagine, judge, perceive, realize, reckon, suppose, suspect, take, twig; concept 15… …   New thesaurus

  • conceive of — index apprehend (perceive), construe (comprehend) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • conceive — late 13c., conceiven, take (seed) into the womb, become pregnant, from stem of O.Fr. conceveir (Mod.Fr. concevoir), from L. concipere (pp. conceptus) to take in and hold; become pregnant, from com , intensive prefix (see COM (Cf. com )), + comb.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • conceive — *think, imagine, fancy, realize, envisage, envision Analogous words: *consider, excogitate: speculate, cogitate, *think: *ponder, ruminate, meditate …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • conceive — ► VERB 1) become pregnant with (a child). 2) devise in the mind; imagine. ORIGIN Latin concipere, from capere take …   English terms dictionary

  • conceive — [kən sēv′] vt. conceived, conceiving [ME conceiven < OFr conceveir < L concipere (pp. conceptus), to take in, receive < com , together + capere, to take: see HAVE] 1. to become pregnant with; cause to begin life 2. to form or develop in… …   English World dictionary

  • conceive — [[t]kənsi͟ːv[/t]] conceives, conceiving, conceived 1) VERB: usu with brd neg If you cannot conceive of something, you cannot imagine it or believe it. [V of n/ ing] I just can t even conceive of that quantity of money... [V of n/ ing] He was… …   English dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”