Grope

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɡɹəʊp/

Definitions

1. To feel around blindly with the hands in an attempt to find something ; to touch someone in a sexual manner without consent or in a way that is intrusive
2. To reach about uncertainly by tactile sensation in order to locate an object ; to grope refers to inappropriate or unsolicited touching based on sexual intent
3. Using hands to explore or seek for an item without clear sight ; to handle or fondle a person sexually, often without permission or in a suggestive manner

Etymology: Before "grope" meant anything about touching a person, it was simply a way of feeling your way through the dark. The Old English verb "grāpian" described the blind, searching motion of the hands, and it sprang from the same root as "grīpan," meaning to seize or grasp, which gave English "gripe" and, through a related form, "grip." So the word began as a description of physical searching, with no sexual connotation at all, and the grasping sense lives on in its close relatives. Middle English inherited the word as "gropien," and it kept that core idea of groping about without clear sight: feeling for a doorway in a dark room, or reaching for something in a pocket or a box. The sense of handling a person in an intimate or unwelcome way developed later from this same picture of hands moving without guidance, which is why the modern meaning sits so naturally beside the older one.

Synonyms: fumble, search, grasp

Antonyms: release, let go