a. [f. as prec. + -IBLE.] Comprehensible.
1817. Bentham, Plan Parl. Reform, Pref. p. ccix. Observe what will be the effect of the cluster of arguments, comprehendible under the common appellation of the argumentum à superficie ad superficiem.
1821. J. F. Cooper, Spy (ed. 2), I. x. 155. There may be reasons not comprehendible to you. Ibid. (1826), Mohicans, ix. II. 151. Put up your tooting we’pon, and teach your throat modesty. Five words of plain and comprehendible English, are worth, just now, an hour of squalling.
1864. C. G. Leland, trans. Heine’s Book of Songs, 82.
| Flowers were sprouting, and May-bells ringing, | |
| The birds, in fact, seemed quite comprehendible; | |
| But I found no joy in their chat or singing, | |
| And I only wished it were all suspendible. |
1848. ‘E. Warwick,’ Nasology, v. 141. If, like Bacon, we were to endeavour to read the fable of the Sphinx, we would say that it represents the wise mind, which has united reason and experience into a beautiful form; comprehendible by man, but most hard to be comprehended.
1870. L. H. Morgan, Consanguinity & Affinity, 443. With all the diacritical marks with which we are able to invest our English vowels, the exact sound, and, of necessity, difference of signification between some words and others will not be comprehendible.
1917. B. Johnson, Well of English & Bucket, ii. 35. They have found that the principles of arithmetic may be mastered more quickly and thoroughly by means of comprehendible numbers than by means of incomprehendible ones.
