verstehen

V4E1R1S1T1E1H4E1N1
/və(ɹ)ˈʃteɪ.ən/

noun

A stance that attempts to understand the meaning of action from the actor’s point of view, so that the actor is seen as a subject rather than an object of observation.

OriginGerman Verstehen →
UncommonScrabble 15
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Meanings

nounverstehen (uncountable)
  1. uncountablehuman sciencesA stance that attempts to understand the meaning of action from the actor’s point of view, so that the actor is seen as a subject rather than an object of observation.

Origin

  1. Germanverstehen“to understand, comprehend”
  2. GermanVerstehen
  3. Englishverstehen

Unadapted borrowing from German Verstehen or German verstehen (“to understand, comprehend”).

More words from German

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

verstehen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/verstehen

MLA

“verstehen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/verstehen. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “verstehen,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/verstehen.

Source: verstehen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.