What is apprehend? How to use in English

The word "apprehend" has a fascinating history! The word originated from the Old French "aprehender," which means "to seize" or "to take." This Old French term is derived from the Latin "apprehendere," meaning "to grasp" or "to take hold of." In the 14th century, the English language borrowed the French term, and "apprehend" emerged as a verb meaning "to seize" or "to capture" in a physical sense. Over time, the meaning of "apprehend" expanded to include the idea of mentally grasping or understanding something. In the 17th century, the verb took on the sense of "to comprehend" or "to grasp mentally," and today we use it to describe not only physical capture but also the act of understanding or realizing something.