v. & n.
v. 1 tr. a clutch at; seize greedily. b hold firmly; grip. 2 intr. (foll. by at) try to seize; accept avidly. 3 tr. understand or realize (a fact or meaning).
n. 1 a firm hold; a grip. 2 (foll. by of) a mastery or control (a grasp of the situation). b a mental hold or understanding (a grasp of the facts). 3 mental agility (a quick grasp). grasp at a straw see STRAW. grasp the nettle tackle a difficulty boldly. within one's grasp capable of being grasped or comprehended by one. graspable adj. grasper n.
[ ME graspe, grapse perh. f. OE grpsan (unrecorded) f. Gmc, rel. to GROPE: cf. LG grapsen ]