Comprehension \Com`pre*hen"sion\, n. [L. comprehensio: cf. F. compr['e]hension.]

1. The act of comprehending, containing, or comprising; inclusion.

In the Old Testament there is a close comprehension of the New; in the New, an open discovery of the Old. --Hooker.

2. That which is comprehended or inclosed within narrow limits; a summary; an epitome. [Obs.]

Though not a catalogue of fundamentals, yet . . . a comprehension of them. --Chillingworth.

3. The capacity of the mind to perceive and understand; the power, act, or process of grasping with the intellect; perception; understanding; as, a comprehension of abstract principles.

4. (Logic) The complement of attributes which make up the notion signified by a general term.

5. (Rhet.) A figure by which the name of a whole is put for a part, or that of a part for a whole, or a definite number for an indefinite.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)