Etymograph

English

prender

Prender comes from French prendre ‘to take’, from Proto-Italic *hendō ‘to hold’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- ‘to find’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰed-1‘to find’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰnédti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*hendō1‘to hold’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*praiɣendō1reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprehendō2as prehendere‘to take’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprēndere3
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400prendre3
  8. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600prendre3
  9. Frenchc. 1600–presentprendre2‘to take’
  10. Englishtodayprender2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin prehendo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English prender
  3. 3 Wiktionary, French prendre

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰed-Wiktionary, Latin prehendo‘to find’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰnédtiWiktionary, Latin prehendoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*hendōWiktionary, Latin prehendo‘to hold’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*praiɣendōWiktionary, Latin prehendoreconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprehendōWiktionary, English prenderas prehendere‘to take’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprēndereWiktionary, French prendre
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400prendreWiktionary, French prendre
  8. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600prendreWiktionary, French prendre
  9. Frenchc. 1600–presentprendreWiktionary, English prender‘to take’
  10. EnglishtodayprenderWiktionary, English prender

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- ‘to find’

yet, guess, prey, predator, predation, reprieve, beget, impregnable, apprehend, prehensile, 29 more

through Proto-Italic *praiɣendō

prisoner, imprison, impresario, 11 more

through Latin prehendō ‘to take’

prison, comprehensive, comprise, apprentice, comprehension, comprehend, apprehension, apprehensive, reprehensible, 13 more

through Old French prendre

surprise, prize, prise, 2 more

Today it means

noun The power or right of taking a thing before it is offered

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “prender”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin prehendo, French prendre. 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- / prender

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