grasp

See also: GRASP

English

Alternative forms

• graps

Etymology

From Middle English graspen, grapsen, craspen (“to grope; feel around”), from Old English *grǣpsian, from Proto-West Germanic *graipisōn, from Proto-Germanic *graipisōną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- (“to take, seize, rake”), the same ultimate source as grab.

Cognate with German Low German grapsen (“to grab; grasp”), German grapsen and grapschen, Saterland Frisian Grapse (“double handful”), Old English grāpian ("to touch, feel, grasp"; > Modern English grope). Compare also Swedish krafsa (“to scatch; scabble”), Norwegian krafse (“to scramble”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɡɹɑːsp/
• (Northern England, Scotland) IPA^(key): /ɡɹasp/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɡɹæsp/
• (African-American Vernacular) IPA^(key): /ɡɹæps/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æsp

Verb

grasp (third-person singular simple present grasps, present participle grasping, simple past and past participle grasped)

1. To grip; to take hold, particularly with the hand.
3. To understand.

   I have never been able to grasp the concept of infinity.

4. To take advantage of something, to seize, to jump at a chance.

Synonyms

• (grip): clasp, grip, hold tight; See also Thesaurus:grasp
• (understand): comprehend, fathom
• (take advantage): jump at the chance, jump on

Derived terms

• begrasp
• foregrasp
• grasp at a straw
• grasp at straws
• grasp for straws
• grasp the nettle

 

Related terms

• grapple

 

Translations

to grip

• Arabic:

  Egyptian Arabic: مسك (misik)

  Moroccan Arabic: مسك (msak), شد (šadd), قبط (qbaṭ)

• Armenian: կառչել (hy) (kaṙčʻel)
• Bulgarian: хващам (bg) (hvaštam), улавям (bg) (ulavjam)
• Catalan: prendre (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 把握 (zh) (bǎwò), 握 (zh) (wò), 抓住 (zh) (zhuāzhù), 抓 (zh) (zhuā)

• Czech: stisknout, uchopit
• Danish: gribe
• Dutch: grijpen (nl), vastpakken (nl)
• Finnish: tarttua (fi), puristaa (fi)
• French: saisir (fr), agripper (fr)
• German: greifen (de), erfassen (de)
• Greek: αδράχνω (el) (adráchno), αρπάζω (el) (arpázo), πιάνω (el) (piáno)
• Italian: afferrare (it), avvinghiare (it), avvinghiarsi, agguantare (it)
• Japanese: 掴む (ja) (つかむ, tsukamu)
• Latin: teneo (la), prehendō, sumo (la)
• Manchu: ᠵᠠᡶᠠᠮᠪᡳ (jafambi)
• Mansi:

  Northern Mansi: а̄лмаяӈкве (ālmaâňkve)

• Maori: mamau, nanao, rarau, aurara, roromi, romi, rarawhi, rawhi, rawhirawhi, whakatāmau
• Norman: gaffer (Jersey)
• Old English: āgrāpian
• Ottoman Turkish: پنچه‌لمك (pençelemek), طوتمق (tutmak)
• Polish: trzymać (pl), chwytać (pl)
• Portuguese: agarrar (pt)
• Quechua: hap'iy, chariy
• Russian: хвата́ть (ru) impf (xvatátʹ), схва́тывать (ru) impf (sxvátyvatʹ), схвати́ть (ru) pf (sxvatítʹ)
• Sanskrit: घिण्णते (sa) (ghiṇṇate)
• Sicilian: affirrari (scn)
• Spanish: agarrar (es), asir (es)
• Swedish: fatta (sv), gripa (sv), greppa (sv)
• Telugu: పట్టుకొను (te) (paṭṭukonu)
• Tocharian B: eṅk-
• Turkish: kavramak (tr)
• Volapük: gleipön (vo)
• Walloon: apicî (wa)

to understand

• Bulgarian: схващам (bg) (shvaštam), осъзнавам (bg) (osǎznavam)
• Catalan: comprendre (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 理解 (zh) (líjiě),掌握 (zh) (zhǎngwò)

• Czech: pochopit (cs)
• Danish: begribe, fatte
• Dutch: begrijpen (nl), snappen (nl)
• Esperanto: kompreni
• Estonian: mõistma (et), aru saama (et), hoomama
• Finnish: tajuta (fi), käsittää (fi)
• French: comprendre (fr), saisir (fr)
• German: begreifen (de), verstehen (de), erfassen (de)
• Greek: πιάνω (el) (piáno), κατανοώ (el) (katanoó)
• Hungarian: felfog (hu), átérez (hu)
• Italian: afferrare (it), capire (it), comprendere (it)
• Japanese: 分かる (ja) (wakaru)
• Konkani: कळचे (kaḷce)
• Latin: teneo (la)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: begripe (no), forstå (no), fatte (no)

• Ottoman Turkish: آڭلامق (anlamak)
• Polish: rozumieć (pl), pojmować (pl)
• Portuguese: entender (pt), compreender (pt)
• Russian: понима́ть (ru) impf (ponimátʹ), поня́ть (ru) pf (ponjátʹ), схвати́ть (ru) pf (sxvatítʹ), усваивать (ru) impf (usvaivatʹ)
• Spanish: comprender (es)
• Swedish: begripa (sv), fatta (sv)
• Telugu: గ్రహించు (te) (grahiñcu), ఆకళింపు చేసుకొను (ākaḷimpu cēsukonu)
• Turkish: kavramak (tr)

to take advantage of a situation or of something

• Greek: δράττομαι (el) (dráttomai), αρπάζω (el) (arpázo)
• Maori: haohao, hao

Noun

grasp (plural grasps)

1. (sometimes figurative) Grip.
   • 1826, William Blake, “The Tyger”, in Songs of Innocence and of Experience:

     What the anvil? what dread grasp.
     Dare its deadly terrors clasp!

   • 1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter III (Accessory After the Fact), page 382, column 1:

     Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear.

   • 1980, Robert M. Jones, editor, Walls and Ceilings, Time-Life Books, →ISBN, page 44:

     If a mirror does slip from your grasp, do not attempt to catch it. Just get out of the way.

3. Understanding.
   • 1859, George Meredith, chapter 13, in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel. A History of Father and Son. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC:

     There is for the mind but one grasp of happiness: from that uppermost pinnacle of wisdom, whence we see that this world is well designed.

4. That which is accessible; that which is within one's reach or ability.

   The goal is within my grasp.

Derived terms

• beyond someone's grasp
• tripod grasp

 

Translations

grip

• Arabic: قَبْضَة f (qabḍa)
• Bhojpuri: पकड़ (pakaṛ)
• Bulgarian: хващане (bg) n (hvaštane), хватка (bg) f (hvatka)
• Czech: uchopení, sevření
• Dutch: grip (nl) m
• Finnish: ote (fi)
• German: Griff (de) m
• Greek: άδραγμα (el) n (ádragma), λαβή (el) f (laví)
• Hebrew: לפיתה f
• Hindi: पकड़ (hi) (pakaṛ)
• Italian: presa (it) f, stretta (it) f
• Plautdietsch: Hool f
• Polish: uchwyt (pl) m
• Scottish Gaelic: glacadh m
• Spanish: asimiento m
• Swedish: grepp (sv)

understanding

• Bulgarian: разбиране (bg) n (razbirane), схватливост (bg) f (shvatlivost)
• Catalan: comprensió (ca) f
• Czech: porozumění (cs)
• Dutch: begrip (nl) n
• Finnish: käsitys (fi), ymmärrys (fi), taju (fi)
• German: Verständnis (de) n
• Greek: κατανόηση (el) f (katanóisi), αντίληψη (el) f (antílipsi)
• Hebrew: תפיסה f, הבנה (he) f
• Italian: comprensione (it) f, padronanza (it) f
• Polish: rozumienie (pl), zrozumienie (pl), pojęcie (pl)
• Portuguese: compreensão (pt) f
• Russian: усвое́ние (ru) n (usvojénije), обуча́емость (ru) f (obučájemostʹ)
• Spanish: comprensión (es) f
• Swedish: begrepp (sv), förståelse (sv) c

that which is accessible

• Catalan: abast (ca) m
• Finnish: käsillä (fi), käsissä (fi) (idiomatic)
• Greek: προσιτός (el) m (prositós)
• Italian: a portata di mano (it) (within one's grasp)
• Portuguese: alcance (pt) m
• Spanish: alcance (es) m
• Swedish: räckhåll (sv) n, grepp (sv) n

Anagrams

• ARPGs, sprag