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definitions

prehension

[ pri-hen-shuh n ]
/ prɪˈhɛn ʃən /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prehension ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of seizing or grasping.
mental apprehension.

RELATED WORDS

insight, perception, knowledge, intelligence, sense, awareness, realization, grasp, judgment, recognition, apprehension, grip, intuition, sharpness, wit, intellect, discrimination, acumen, knowing, ken

Nearby words

  1. pregnant,
  2. pregnantly,
  3. preheat,
  4. prehensible,
  5. prehensile,
  6. prehistoric,
  7. prehistory,
  8. prehnite,
  9. prehominid,
  10. prehormone

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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for prehension

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
Word Origin and History for prehension

prehension

n.

1530s, "seizure, arrest," from Latin prehensionem (nominative prehensio), noun of action from past participle stem of prehendere (see prehensile). Use in philosophy is from 1925.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for prehension

prehension

[ prē-hĕn′shən ]

n.

The act of grasping or seizing.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.