prehension
Americannoun
-
the act of seizing or grasping.
-
mental apprehension.
noun
-
the act of grasping
-
apprehension by the senses or the mind
Etymology
Origin of prehension
1525–35; < Latin prehēnsiōn- (stem of prehēnsiō ) a taking hold, equivalent to prehēns ( us ) (past participle of prehendere to seize, equivalent to pre- pre- + -hendere to grasp; akin to get ) + -iōn- -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But last week Philadelphia's Dr. William Likoff somberly warned the AHA that the "mild coronary" may have more cause for ap prehension than for gratitude.
From Time Magazine Archive
But public ap prehension about the possible dangers of chemical insect killers is now shielding the hungry worms from DDT and other long-lasting poisons.
From Time Magazine Archive
Unless indeed254 we confine the term “primary” to the reproductive glands, it is scarcely possible to decide, as far as the organs of prehension are concerned, which ought to be called primary and which secondary.
From The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, Vol. I by Darwin, Charles
When the tongue is affected, it is swollen and painful, and prehension and mastication of the food may be impossible.
From Common Diseases of Farm Animals by Craig, R. A., D. V. M.
The radius is found to be longer in proportion to the humerus, as the number of digits is smaller, and the hand loses more and more the functions of an organ of prehension.
From Artistic Anatomy of Animals by Cuyer, ?douard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
