prehension
Americannoun
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the act of seizing or grasping.
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mental apprehension.
noun
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the act of grasping
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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
There is a desire to eat, and frequent attempts to take food are made, but prehension is very difficult.
From Special Report on Diseases of Cattle by United States. Bureau of Animal Industry
Human preference, both sexual and social, would tend to eliminate huge jaws and ferocious teeth when these were no longer needed as weapons of war or organs of prehension, &c.
From Are the Effects of Use and Disuse Inherited? An Examination of the View Held by Spencer and Darwin by Ball, W. P. (William Platt)
No mechanical contrivance has ever been designed that is comparable to the hand in flexibility, deftness, adaptability, or power of prehension.
From The Reconstructed School by Pearson, Francis B.
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.
