As Bill has already pointed out, understand is similar to verstehen in German, but nevertheless the closest literal partner to 'understand' in German would be unterstehen (to be subordinate to), <scratching head>.
English and German both have other words with '-stand' / '-stehen', e.g. 'withstand' or 'bestehen', 'entstehen', respectively. When one considers that Alex's alternate verb for understanding (to comprehend) derives from 'to grasp' in Latin, it isn't much of a stretch to discern the common link of firmly embracing a concept or the nature of sth... or as AHD puts it .. 'To take in the meaning of' IMWO <g>.