English
apprehend
Apprehend comes from Old French apprehender, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- ‘to find’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰed-1‘to find’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400apprehender1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500apprehenden1‘to grasp, take hold of’
- Englishearliest quotation 1531apprehend1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English apprehend
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1531, Thomas Elyot, Of Pacience Deserued in Repulse, or Hynderaunce of Promocion: “Undowghtedly in a prince or noble man may be…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰed-Wiktionary, English apprehend‘to find’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400apprehenderWiktionary, English apprehend
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500apprehendenWiktionary, English apprehend‘to grasp, take hold of’
- Englishearliest quotation 1531apprehendWiktionary, English apprehend. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1531, Thomas Elyot, Of Pacience Deserued in Repulse, or Hynderaunce of Promocion: “Undowghtedly in a prince or noble man may be…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- ‘to find’
yet, guess, prison, surprise, prize, comprehensive, prey, comprise, predator, apprentice, comprehension, comprehend, predation, reprieve, beget, impregnable, reprehensible, impresario, prehensile, 34 more
Today it means
verb To be or become aware of (something); to perceive.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “apprehend”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- / apprehend