prehendere

Prehendere is a Latin verb meaning to seize, grasp, or take hold of, with both literal and figurative uses. It belongs to the third conjugation and appears in Classical Latin with the principal parts prehendo, prehendere, prehendi, prehensus.

Grammar and usage are typical of a transitive third‑conjugation verb. It governs a direct object in the accusative (for example, hostes prehendunt, “they seize the enemies”). The principal parts—prehendo, prehendere, prehendi, prehensus—are used to form the different tenses and voices. The present active infinitive is prehendere; the perfect active infinitive is prehendi; the perfect passive participle is prehensus (masculine), with feminine prehensa and neuter prehensum.

Semantic range includes physical seizure or capture (seizing weapons, enemies, or goods), legal or authoritative seizure (to arrest or seize property), and figurative or cognitive grasp (to comprehend or apprehend in English, via related compounds such as comprehend, apprehend, and prehensile). The verb also yields several English derivatives: comprehend, apprehend, prehensile, and the noun prehension, all tracing to the same root.

In Latin literature, prehendere appears in both narrative and legal contexts. A simple example is Caesar hostes prehendit, “Caesar seized the enemies.” Other uses describe seizing objects or taking hold of opportunities, illustrating the word’s broad applicability in classical prose.

See also: prehension, prehensile, apprehend, comprehend. These terms reflect the same Latin root and demonstrate how the act of grasping the physical world expanded into mental and technical senses in European languages.