grasp

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gʰrebʰ-“to take, seize, rake”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*graipisōną
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*graipisōn
4. Old English · inherited from*grǣpsian
5. Middle English · inherited fromgraspen
6. English todaygrasp

From Middle English graspen, grapsen, craspen (“to grope; feel around”), from Old English *grǣpsian, from Proto-West Germanic *graipisōn, from Proto-Germanic *graipisōną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- (“to take, seize, rake”), the same ultimate source as grab. Cognate with Saterland Frisian grapsje (“to grab, grasp”), German Low German grapsen (“to grab; grasp”), German grapsen and grapschen, Old English grāpian ("to touch, feel, grasp"; > Modern English grope). Compare also Swedish krafsa (“to scatch; scabble”), Norwegian krafse (“to scramble”).

Words from the same roots