01 n. The act of seizing or taking hold of; seizure; as, the hand is an organ of apprehension.
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1.
The act of seizing or taking hold of; seizure; as, the hand is an organ of apprehension.
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2.
The act of seizing or taking by legal process; arrest; as, the felon, after his apprehension, escaped.
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3.
The act of grasping with the intellect; the contemplation of things, without affirming, denying, or passing any judgment; intellection; perception.“Simple apprehension denotes no more than the soul's naked intellection of an object.” — Glanvill.
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4.
Opinion; conception; sentiment; idea.“To false, and to be thought false, is all one in respect of men, who act not according to truth, but apprehension.” — South.
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5.
The faculty by which ideas are conceived; understanding; as, a man of dull apprehension.
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6.
Anticipation, mostly of things unfavorable; distrust or fear at the prospect of future evil.“After the death of his nephew Caligula, Claudius was in no small apprehension for his own life.” — Addison.
Syn.
Apprehension, Alarm.
Apprehension springs from a sense of danger when somewhat remote, but approaching; alarm arises from danger when announced as near at hand. Apprehension is calmer and more permanent; alarm is more agitating and transient.