To Apprehend
- (transitive, archaic) To take or seize; to take hold of.
- (transitive) To take or seize (a person) by legal process; to arrest.
- (transitive) To take hold of with the understanding, that is, to conceive in the mind; to become cognizant of; to understand; to recognize; to consider.
- (transitive) To anticipate; especially, to anticipate with anxiety, dread, or fear; to fear.
- (intransitive) To think, believe, or be of opinion; to understand; to suppose.
- (intransitive) To be apprehensive; to fear.
Usage notes
To apprehend, comprehend. These words come into comparison as describing acts of the mind. Apprehend denotes the laying hold of a thing mentally, so as to understand it clearly, at least in part. Comprehend denotes the embracing or understanding it in all its compass and extent. We may apprehend many truths which we do not comprehend. The very idea of God supposes that He may be apprehended, though not comprehended, by rational beings. We may apprehend much of Shakespeare's aim and intention in the character of Hamlet or King Lear; but few will claim that they have comprehended all that is embraced in these characters. --Trench.
(material dates from 1913)