U

apprehend

verb (used with object)

to take into custody; arrest by legal warrant or authority: The police apprehended the burglars.
to grasp the meaning of; understand, especially intuitively; perceive.
to expect with anxiety, suspicion, or fear; anticipate: apprehending violence.

verb (used without object)

to understand.
to be apprehensive, suspicious, or fearful; fear.

verb

(tr) to arrest and escort into custody; seize
to perceive or grasp mentally; understand
(tr) to await with fear or anxiety; dread

mid-14c., “to grasp in the senses or mind,” from Old French aprendre (12c.) “teach; learn; take, grasp; acquire,” or directly from Latin apprehendere “to take hold of, grasp,” from ad- “to” + prehendere “to seize” (see prehensile). Metaphoric extension to “seize with the mind” took place in Latin, and was the sole sense of cognate Old French aprendre (Modern French apprendre “to learn, to be informed about;” also cf. apprentice). Original sense returned in English in meaning “to seize in the name of the law, arrest,” recorded from 1540s, which use probably was taken directly from Latin. Related: Apprehended; apprehending.