Apprehensio

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of understanding or grasping a concept ; the process of perceiving something mentally ; the seizure or arrest of a person for legal reasons
2. A mental recognition or comprehension of information ; the act of catching or taking hold of someone ; the ability to become aware of something through thought
3. The process of mentally grasping an idea or fact ; the capture or detention of an individual by authority ; the awareness or insight gained from perception or cognition

Etymology: "Apprehensio" is Latin, a noun of action built from "apprehendere", "to seize or lay hold of", which combines "ad-" ("to") with "prehendere", "to grasp." The core image is physical: taking hold of something with the hands. Latin writers extended that grip to the mind, so that to apprehend a thing was to seize it intellectually, and "apprehensio" came to name that act of understanding. The same verb gave English its legal sense. To apprehend a suspect is to seize them in the name of the law, and the Latin noun carried that meaning too, which is why the word covers both intellectual grasp and arrest. English "apprehension" descends from this Latin noun, and the two senses still run side by side in the modern word.

Synonyms: apprehension, fear, anxiety, understanding

Antonyms: calmness, confidence