v.
Pronunciation: k ə n- ' s ē v
Function: verb
Inflected Form: con · ceived ; con · ceiv · ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French conceivre, from Latin concipere to take in, conceive, from com- + capere to take ― more at HEAVE
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1 a : to become pregnant with (young) < conceive a child> b : to cause to begin : ORIGINATE <a project conceived by the company's founder>
2 a : to take into one's mind < conceive a prejudice> b : to form a conception of : IMAGINE <a badly conceived design>
3 : to apprehend by reason or imagination : UNDERSTAND <unable to conceive his reasons>
4 : to have as an opinion <I cannot conceive that he acted alone>
intransitive verb
1 : to become pregnant
2 : to have a conception ― usually used with of < conceive s of death as emptiness>
synonyms see THINK
– con · ceiv · er noun