Grab

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /ɡɹæb/

Definitions

1. To take hold of something suddenly or forcefully with one's hand
2. To reach out and clasp or seize an object or item quickly and firmly
3. To grasp or snatch something abruptly using the hand or hands

Etymology: The verb grab goes back to a Germanic root meaning "to gather" or "to rake," which is a useful clue to how it first worked. Its immediate sources were Middle Dutch "grabben" and Middle Low German "grabben," both meaning "to grasp, seize, snatch." Those trace back to Old Saxon "gravan," and further to a Proto-West Germanic form that was a secondary variant of a Proto-Germanic verb meaning "to gather, rake." The sense of quick seizing came later than the sense of gathering things together. The same root shows up across a remarkable spread of languages. Old Norse "grápa" meant "to seize, appropriate," Old English "ġegræppian" meant "to seize," and modern cousins include Swedish "grabba" and Danish "grabbe." Further afield, Sanskrit "gṛhṇāti," meaning "he seizes," belongs to the same family, as do Bulgarian "grabja," meaning "to rob, to grab," and Macedonian "grabne," meaning "to snatch."

Synonyms: seize, take, snatch

Antonyms: release, let go