Arresting or taking someone into custody; also, to understand or perceive something intellectually.
From Latin 'apprehendere' (to grasp or seize), combining 'ad-' (to) and 'prehendere' (to seize). The word covers both physical arrest and mental grasping.
One word captures two meanings—physically grabbing someone and mentally grabbing an idea—because the Romans thought understanding and seizing were the same kind of grasping action, a metaphor that shaped Western thought.
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