gripan

Forms

grīpan (strong class 1; third-person singular present grīpþ, past singular grāp, past plural gripon)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *grīpan, from Proto-Germanic *grīpaną (“to grab, grasp”).^[1] The strong verb is found in all the old Germanic languages: Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍀𐌰𐌽 (greipan), Old Norse grípa, Old Frisian grīpa, Old Saxon grīpan and Old High German grīfan.^[2][3][4] It is a verb of the first ablaut class, with the principal parts grīpan, grāp, gripon, gripen.^[5][6]

Outside Germanic, Orel and Holthausen compare Lithuanian griebti (“to seize”).^[2][4] Köbler sets up a root Proto-Indo-European *gʰreib- (“to grasp”), perhaps an extension of Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- (“to seize, rake together”);^[3] Etymonline calls the Germanic word of uncertain origin.^[7] Both refer to the noun grāp (“grasp”) as related.^[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first dated record is in the Pastoral Care of Hatton 20 (890×897), where Gregory wishes to restrain the unworthy so ðæt hiera nan ne durre gripan sua orsorglice on ðæt rice & on ðone lareowdom "that none of them should dare to grasp so carelessly at rule and the office of teaching".^[8][9] The verb is used intransitively here, with on and the accusative, as Clark Hall and Sweet note for the sense "lay hold of, usurp".^[10][11]

Semantic evolution

The physical sense, to grasp or seize with the hands, is the commonest: the heathen leaders seize Lot handum in Genesis.^[12] Used without an object it means to grasp at, take hold of or attack; in Beowulf heo grap þa togeanes "she clutched at him then".^[13][6] Disease, fear, temptation and weapons can grip a person too: in Genesis sharp spears gripon the men.^[11][12] In the psalter glosses it renders Latin “apprehendere”, and the ge- form ġegrīpan is common beside it.^[12][3]

The verb lived on as Middle English gripen, now English gripe; in later Middle English it was often replaced by grippen.^[14][7]

Timeline

• 890×897 – gripan sua orsorglice on ðæt rice in the Pastoral Care (Hatton 20).^[8][9]
• s. x² – gripon … scearpe garas “sharp spears gripped” in Genesis A in the Junius manuscript.^[15][9]
• s. x/xi – the past tense grap in the Beowulf manuscript (line 1501).^[16][6]
• c. 1200 – Middle English gripen “to clutch, seize firmly”.^[7][14]

Meanings

Verb

1. to grasp, seize, lay hold of.^[12][6]
2. used without an object (with the dative or genitive, or with on, tō): to grasp at, attack, assail.^[10][13]
3. figuratively, of disease, fear, temptation or weapons: to grip, take hold of a person.^[11]
4. with on and the accusative: to take possession of, usurp.^[11]
5. to take in, understand (rendering Latin “apprehendere”).^[11][12]

Word family

• ġegrīpan
• begrīpan
• forgrīpan
• wiþgrīpan
• ġegrip

Descendants

• Middle English gripen (→ Scots gripe; English gripe)^[1]

Related words

• grāp
• grāpian

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 143
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. grīpan
4. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 138
5. ^ Seebold, Elmar (1970), Vergleichendes und etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen starken Verben, The Hague / Paris: Mouton
6. ^ a b c d Fulk, R. D.; Bjork, Robert E.; Niles, John D., eds. (2008), Klaeber's Beowulf and The Fight at Finnsburg, 4th ed., Toronto: University of Toronto Press (glossary), p. s.v. grīpan
7. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 499
9. ^ a b c Healey, Antonette diPaolo; Price Wilkin, John; Xiang, Xin, eds. (2009), Dictionary of Old English Web Corpus, Toronto: Dictionary of Old English Project
10. ^ a b Clark Hall, J. R. (1960), A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, 4th ed., with a supplement by H. D. Meritt, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 159
11. ^ a b c d e Sweet, Henry (1896), The Student's Dictionary of Anglo-Saxon, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 100
12. ^ a b c d e Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. 490
13. ^ a b Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. Suppl. 487
14. ^ a b Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
15. ^ Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 513
16. ^ Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 344