prehension

noun

pre·​hen·​sion prē-ˈhen(t)-shən 

1

: the act of taking hold, seizing, or grasping

2

a

: mental understanding : comprehension

b

: apprehension by the senses

Did you know?

It's easy to grasp the origins of prehension—it descends from the Latin verb prehendere, which means "to seize" or "to grasp." Other descendants of prehendere in English include apprehend ("arrest, seize"), comprehend ("to grasp the nature or significance of"), prehensile ("adapted for seizing or grasping"), prison, reprise ("a repeated performance"), and reprisal ("a retaliatory act"). Even the English word get comes to us from the same ancient root that led to the Latin prehendere.

Examples of prehension in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Of these, the grasping, which will progressively disappear as voluntary prehension emerges around the age of 4–5 months, is of great interest. —Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 7 Oct. 2011

Prehension was seen as a key development for the USC/Belgrade Hand. —Jose Fermoso, WIRED, 26 Sep. 2008

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Medical Definition

prehension

noun

pre·​hen·​sion prē-ˈhen-chən 

: the act of taking hold, seizing, or grasping