An archaic or dialectal variant meaning to grip, grasp, or seize something tightly.
From Old English 'gripan' or Middle German 'greifen,' related to the modern English 'grip'; the 'y' spelling variation reflects older Germanic pronunciation.
This old word shows how English once had multiple valid ways to spell the same word—'grype,' 'grip,' and 'gripe' were all acceptable, and pronunciation varied regionally.
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