Apprehension is a feeling of fear or worry that something bad might happen, or the act of understanding something clearly.
From Latin "apprehendere" meaning "to seize" or "to grasp," both physically and mentally. The word grew two branches: grasping ideas and being gripped by fear.
Your mind “grasps” a concept and can also be “grasped” by dread—exact same root idea. Even today, we talk about being “seized by fear” or “getting a hold of” an idea, echoing this old double meaning.
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