apprehension
noun
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Latin Helps Build Apprehension
There’s quite a bit to comprehend about apprehension, so let’s take a closer look at its history. The Latin ancestor of apprehension (and of comprehend, prehensile, and even prison, among others) is the verb prehendere, meaning “to grasp” or “to seize.” When it was first used in the 14th century, apprehension could refer to the act of learning, a sense that is now obsolete, or the ability or power to understand things—learning and understanding both being ways to “grasp” knowledge or information. It wasn’t until the late 16th century that apprehension was used, as it still is today, for the physical seizure of something or someone (as an arrest). The most commonly used sense of apprehension today refers to a feeling that something bad is about to happen, when you seize up, perhaps, with anxiety or dread, having grasped all the unpleasant possibilities.
Synonyms
Examples of apprehension in a Sentence
Tracy Neal, arkansasonline.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Border Patrol made nearly 250,000 apprehensions just in December of that year.
—Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR, 23 Jan. 2025
Clarke’s family voiced apprehension about Peeler’s claims of being reformed while serving his 20-plus year sentence in state prison.
—Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 23 Jan. 2025
Amassing at Border As Trump Sworn In Chicago Mass Deportation Plan Thrown Into Doubt After Leak
Homan also said that apprehensions at the southern border had fallen to 766 in the last 24 hours.
—Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
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Dictionary Entries Near apprehension
Cite this Entry
“Apprehension.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apprehension. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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apprehension
noun
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apprehension
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