Make Your Point > Archived Issues > APPREHENSIVE
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pronounce
APPREHENSIVE:
Say it "app ree HEN siv."
Or, relax that second vowel: "app ruh HEN siv."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Inside our word apprehensive, you can glimpse the Latin prehendere, meaning "to seize or grasp."
That makes sense, because apprehension is a feeling of nervousness, as if your fears have taken hold of you with their hands. Or their teeth. But as we'll see in a moment, in an etymological sense, apprehension has more to do with you taking hold of your fears.
Either way, there's some kind of grasping or seizing going on whenever you spot prehendere in an English word. For example, animals with prehensile tails use them to grasp things. And a comprehensive book seems to have grabbed onto every relevant detail.
See if you can explain why prehendere shows up in the words reprehend and reprehensible.
definition:
Let's start with "apprehend," a word with Latin bits that literally mean "to grab hold of."
To apprehend criminals is to arrest them, or capture them--basically, to grab hold of them.
And to apprehend ideas is to understand them: to comprehend them, as if your mind is grabbing hold of them and not letting go.
Hundreds of years ago, we used "apprehensive" to mean "intelligent: grabbing onto ideas, understanding things quickly."
But the meaning grew more specific over time, and now "apprehensive" means "quickly understanding and focusing on possible dangers or fears: very aware of, and very concerned about, what might go wrong."
In other words, to be apprehensive is to be nervous and fearful, because you're very aware of specific worries or dangers.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "He seems apprehensive right now;" "They're making me apprehensive."
Other forms:
The adverb is "apprehensively:" "She spoke in a rush, apprehensively."
The noun is "apprehension:" "I felt a mix of excitement and apprehension." (Much less common, but still correct, is "apprehensiveness.")
how to use it:
Pick the semi-common word "apprehensive" to strike a serious tone.
Talk about apprehensive people and their apprehensive moods, faces, expressions, voices, comments, questions, etc.
You can also say that someone is apprehensive about something ("Uncle Jesse is apprehensive about becoming a dad to twins"), or apprehensive of something ("I'm apprehensive of her safety as she climbs onto the monkey bars").
examples:
"Gripping the bough above with both hands, Milo began inching his way out on the limb sideways with utmost care and apprehension."
— Joseph Heller, Catch-22, 1961
Uncle Jesse, after finding out his wife is pregnant with twins: "I guess I'm just apprehensive."
Michelle: "Appre-what?"
Jesse: "Apprehensive. It means, um... It means that I'm nervous about the twins."
Later, to the whole family, Michelle: "Uncle Jesse's apprehensive! That means he's nervous!"
— Jeff Franklin, Full House, "Double Trouble" (Season 5, Episode 1), September 17, 1991
has this page helped you understand "apprehensive"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "apprehensive" without saying "tense" or "nervous but focused."
try it out:
Check out this passage from Lois Lowry's The Giver:
"He had waited a long time for this special December. Now that it was almost upon him, he wasn't frightened, but he was... eager, he decided. He was eager for it to come. And he was excited, certainly. All of the Elevens were excited about the event that would be coming so soon. But there was a little shudder of nervousness when he thought about it, about what might happen. Apprehensive, Jonas decided. That's what I am."
We're seeing here that Jonas, who cares about his precision of language, rejects the words "frightened," "eager," "excited," and "nervousness" before settling on "apprehensive" to describe his mood.
Talk about a time, too, you felt apprehensive before an important event. Was your apprehension, like Jonas's, a blend of fright, eagerness, excitement, and nervousness?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game for this month is Obits Tidbits!
Check out a tidbit from the obituary of an extraordinary person, and see if you can name who it was. To see the answer, scroll all the way down.
From the New York Times: "Impromptu vigils broke out around the world... fans organized a one-gloved bike ride."
If you need some hints, highlight the hidden white text below.
This obituary was published on… June 25th, 2009.
This person's initials are… M. J.
review this word:
A. QUICK, SUCCINCT, and CONDENSED.
B. MODEST, DIFFIDENT, and UNASSUMING.
C. CAREFREE, OBLIVIOUS, and OVERCONFIDENT.
2.
By definition, when you're apprehensive, you're _____. Here's an example that clearly demonstrates the meaning of apprehension: "_____" (Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness).
A. alert .. I was too tired to be apprehensive, and there were things on my mind
B. sluggish .. He caught up with me, for I was too apprehensive to keep up my pace
C. inventive .. But I am an artist, and therefore apprehensive. Distrust everything I say
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
On vocabulary...
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.
From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Inside our word apprehensive, you can glimpse the Latin prehendere, meaning "to seize or grasp."
Let's start with "apprehend," a word with Latin bits that literally mean "to grab hold of."
Part of speech:
Pick the semi-common word "apprehensive" to strike a serious tone.
"Gripping the bough above with both hands, Milo began inching his way out on the limb sideways with utmost care and apprehension."
Explain the meaning of "apprehensive" without saying "tense" or "nervous but focused."
Check out this passage from Lois Lowry's The Giver:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |