grasp English · revision 10763

+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1350|origins=ang *grǣpsan}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ɡrɑːsp/, US /ɡræsp/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ Middle English graspen is of uncertain origin,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) possibly by metathesis from grapsen, from Old English [[m|ang|*grǣpsan|t=to touch, feel]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) parallel to the base of [[grope]] and related to [[grab]];^(Hoad 1986)^(Barnhart 1988)^(NODE 1998) compare East Frisian and Low German grapsen, to grab, snatch.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) Hoad also allows a Low German origin.^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To reach for, grope, feel around: about 1350, the mid-14th century in Etymonline.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ To seize and hold fast is first recorded before 1586, in Sidney's Arcadia,^(Barnhart 1988) the 16th century in Hoad,^(Hoad 1986) and figurative senses follow in the 17th century.^(Hoad 1986) The noun, a handle, is from 1561, the 1560s in Etymonline;^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) the act of grasping, a firm grip, from about 1600,^(Etymonline) 1606 in the OED.^(OED 1989) Firm control or possession is from 1605,^(OED 1989) and intellectual hold, a mastery of a subject, from 1683, the 1680s in Etymonline.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) ''Grasping'', greedy, is from before 1382 as a participle adjective.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1350 – to reach for, grope.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1561 – a handle (noun).^(OED 1989)

+ * before 1586 – to seize and hold.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1606 – a grip.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1683 – understanding.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To seize and hold firmly with the hand.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To [[understand]], especially with effort.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To reach eagerly for something, with ''at'': ''to grasp at straws''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A firm hold or [[grip]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Reach or power to attain: ''within one's grasp''.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+ # Understanding: ''a good grasp of grammar''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[graspable]]

+ * [[grasper]]

+ * [[graspless]]

+ * [[regrasp]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[grab]]

+ * [[grapple]]

+ * [[grope]]

+ * [[grip]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}