Etymology

prise

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Today it means: To force (open) with a lever; to pry. Full definition →

Old French prise
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The story

  1. Old French · derived fromprise“seizure; taking; capture”
  2. English todayprise

From the Middle English noun prise (“taking of something”), from Old French prise (“seizure; taking; capture”), past participle of prendre (“to take”). Doublet of prize.

Words from the same roots

Old Frenchprise all →

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.