prehension

[ pri-hen-shuhn ]

/ prɪˈhɛn ʃən /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for prehension on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of seizing or grasping.

mental apprehension.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

Words nearby prehension

pregnancy, pregnant, preheat, prehensible, prehensile, prehension, prehistoric, prehistory, prehnite, prehominid, prehuman

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use prehension in a sentence

Upon this emancipation followed the liberation of jaws and mouth from their use as organs of prehension.
Prehistoric Man|W. L. H. Duckworth
The trophi serve merely for the prehension of prey, and not for mastication.
A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 1 of 2)|Charles Darwin
It is wonderful, and passing wonder, how teachable and quick of perception and prehension is Nature in the studio of Art.
A Walk from London to John O'Groat's|Elihu Burritt
The extensions of the body-substance which are put forth by the Rhizopoda at will, and which serve for locomotion and prehension.
The Ancient Life History of the Earth|Henry Alleyne Nicholson

Having for its function the narrowing of the orifice it surrounds, it acts during suction and in the prehension of food.
Artistic Anatomy of Animals|douard Cuyer

British Dictionary definitions for prehension

prehension

/ (prɪˈhɛnʃən) /

noun

the act of grasping

apprehension by the senses or the mind

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

prehension

Origin of prehension

Words nearby prehension

Words related to prehension

How to use prehension in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for prehension