Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!ucsd!ucsbcsl!silber@sbphy.ucsb.edu
From: silber@sbphy.ucsb.edu
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: "understanding" (its etymology)
Message-ID: <1263@hub.ucsb.edu>
Date: 28 Feb 89 17:15:57 GMT
Sender: news@hub.ucsb.edu
Organization: UC, Santa Barbara. Physics Computer Services
Lines: 8

Outside of the chinese room, down a side corridor, a question
re: the etymology of ''understanding''.. The english dictionary
refers it to early english with a meaning of 'standing among'.
In german the word is VERstehen, a related word of germanic origin.
What does 'comprendre' stem from? or  'dung' (chinese verb meaning
understaning)?  Can some etymologist answer this side-corridor question
with a shor article or reference to a comparative study of the history
of the word <understanding> in various languages?