FromMiddle Englishgraspen,grapsen,craspen(“to grope; feel around”), fromOld English*grǣpsian, fromProto-West Germanic*graipisōn, fromProto-Germanic*graipisōną, fromProto-Indo-European*gʰrebʰ-(“to take, seize, rake”), the same ultimate source asgrab.
Cognate withGerman Low Germangrapsen(“to grab; grasp”),Germangrapsen andgrapschen,Saterland FrisianGrapse(“double handful”),Old Englishgrāpian("to touch, feel, grasp"; > ModernEnglishgrope). Compare alsoSwedishkrafsa(“to scatch; scabble”),Norwegiankrafse(“to scramble”).
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grasp (third-person singular simple presentgrasps,present participlegrasping,simple past and past participlegrasped)
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grasp (pluralgrasps)
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