CONCEIVE, verb transitive [Latin , to take.] 1. To receive into the womb, and breed; to begin the formation of the embryo or fetus of animal. Then shall she be free and conceive seed. Numbers 5:28. Hebrews 11:11. Elisabeth hath conceived a son in her old age. Luke 1:31. In sin did my mother conceive me. Psalms 51:5. 2. To form in the mind; to imagine; to devise. They conceive mischief and bring forth vanity. Job 15:35. Nebuchadnezzar hath conceived a purpose against you. Jeremiah 49:30. 3. To form an idea in the mind; to understand; to comprehend. We cannot conceive the manner in which spirit operates upon matter. 4. To think; to be of opinion; to have an idea; to imagine. You can hardly conceive this man to have been bred in the same climate. CONCEIVE, verb intransitive 1. To have a fetus formed in the womb; to breed; to become pregnant. Thou shalt conceive and bear a son. Judges 13:3. 2. To think; to have a conception or idea. CONCEIVE of things clearly and distinctly in their own natures. The grieved commons hardly conceive of me. 3. To understand; to comprehend; to have a complete idea of; as, I cannot conceive by what means this event has been produced.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI