construe

Construe is a verb with several related senses centered on interpretation and analysis. Most commonly, it means to interpret the meaning of a statement, text, or action, often in a way that infers intent or significance not stated explicitly. It can also mean to analyze the grammatical structure of a sentence to determine how its parts relate to one another.

Etymology and nuance: The word comes from Latin construere, meaning “to heap up” or “to build,” and entered English via Old French. The sense of constructing meaning from words or events is central to its usage. The phrase construe as is common, as in “The clause can be construed as a duty,” signaling a particular interpretation.

Legal and formal usage: In law and formal discourse, construe is frequently used to describe how a court or official interprets statutory text, contracts, or other documents. Judges may construe provisions narrowly or broadly, depending on context and interpretive rules. In these settings, construe carries a sense of deliberate interpretation rather than mere paraphrase.

Usage notes and related terms: Construe implies inference beyond the literal wording and is often contrasted with misconstrue, meaning to interpret wrongly. In linguistics, construe can also refer to analyzing the grammatical structure of a sentence to determine elements such as subject, predicate, and syntactic relationships. The related noun construal or construals refers to the interpretation itself.

Examples: “Her silence could be construed as agreement.” “How should we construe this clause?” “The judge construed the term to require notice.”