From Latin 'intelligere' (to choose between), from 'inter-' + 'legere' (to pick) — understanding as discerning selection.
The faculty of reasoning and understanding objectively; the capacity for thought, especially as contrasted with feeling or action.
From Latin 'intellēctus' (understanding, comprehension, perception), noun use of the past participle of 'intelligere' (to understand, to perceive), formed from 'inter-' (between, among) and 'legere' (to choose, to pick, to read). The original metaphor was 'choosing between' or 'discerning among' — the mind's ability to pick apart and distinguish. The PIE root behind 'legere' is *leǵ- (to gather, to collect), which also produced
The Latin root 'legere' (to choose, to read) is behind an astonishing range of English words: 'lecture' (a reading), 'legend' (something to be read), 'legible' (readable), 'lesson' (a reading), 'elect' (to choose out), 'collect' (to gather together), 'select' (to choose apart), 'neglect' (not to choose, hence to ignore), and 'intellect' (to choose between, hence to understand).
Words closest in meaning, ranked by similarity