ap·pre·hend

[ap-ri-hend]
verb (used with object)
1.
to take into custody; arrest by legal warrant or authority: The police apprehended the burglars.
2.
to grasp the meaning of; understand, especially intuitively; perceive.
3.
to expect with anxiety, suspicion, or fear; anticipate: apprehending violence.
verb (used without object)
4.
to understand.
5.
to be apprehensive, suspicious, or fearful; fear.
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Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English apprehenden < Latin apprehendere to grasp, equivalent to ap- ap-1 + prehendere to seize (pre- pre- + -hendere to grasp)

Related forms
ap·pre·hend·er, noun
re·ap·pre·hend, verb
un·ap·pre·hend·ed, adjective
un·ap·pre·hend·ing, adjective

Can be confused: apprehend, comprehend.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To apprehend
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World English Dictionary
apprehend (ˌæprɪˈhɛnd) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb
1.  (tr) to arrest and escort into custody; seize
2.  to perceive or grasp mentally; understand
3.  (tr) to await with fear or anxiety; dread
 
[C14: from Latin apprehendere to lay hold of]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

apprehend
late 14c., "to grasp in the mind," from L. apprehendere "to take hold of, grasp," from ad- "to" + prehendere "to seize" (see prehensile). Metaphoric extension to "seize with the mind" took place in L., and was the sole sense of cognate O.Fr. aprendre (Mod.Fr. apprendre
"to learn, to be informed about;" also cf. apprentice). Original sense returned in Eng. in meaning "to seize in the name of the law, arrest," recorded from 1540s, which use probably was taken directly from Latin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
City officials immediately set efforts in motion to apprehend him.
During that time the police failed to apprehend the man.
If the police are called the police should come ready to apprehend the intruder.
Such a small brain to apprehend such a large cosmos.
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