English edit

Etymology edit

From Middle English begripen, bigripen, from Old English begrīpan (to grip, seize, lay hold of; chide), from Proto-West Germanic *bigrīpan. Equivalent to be- (around, about) +‎ gripe.

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

begripe (third-person singular simple present begripes, present participle begriping, simple past and past participle begriped)

  1. (transitive) To lay hold of; apprehend; grip; grasp.
    • 1865, Dante Alighieri, The Comedy of Dante Allighieri. [sic]: Part I--The Hell:
      He, with his middle feet, begriped his paunch, And took the arms with the anterior; And then he bit both one and other cheek.
    • 1899, Sir Thomas Malory, Sir Edward Strachey, William Caxton, Le morte Darthur:
      And as for this sword there shall never man begripe it at the handle but one, but he shall pass all other. In the name of God, said Percivale, I shall essay to handle it. So he set his hand to the sword, but he might not begripe it.

Related terms edit

Middle Dutch edit

Verb edit

begripe

  1. inflection of begripen:
    1. first-person singular present indicative
    2. first/third-person singular present subjunctive

Norwegian Bokmål edit

Etymology edit

From Middle Low German begripen.

Verb edit

begripe (imperative begrip, present tense begriper, passive begripes, simple past begrep or begreip, past participle begrepet, present participle begripende)

  1. to grasp, understand, comprehend

Derived terms edit

References edit

Norwegian Nynorsk edit

Etymology edit

From Middle Low German begripen.

Verb edit

begripe (present tense begrip, past tense begreip, past participle begripe, passive infinitive begripast, present participle begripande, imperative begrip)

  1. to grasp, understand, comprehend

Alternative forms edit

References edit

West Frisian edit

Etymology edit

From Old Frisian bigrīpa, from Proto-West Germanic *bigrīpan. Equivalent to be- +‎ gripe.

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

begripe

  1. to understand, to comprehend

Inflection edit

Strong class 1
infinitive begripe
3rd singular past begriep
past participle begrepen
infinitive begripe
long infinitive begripen
gerund begripen n
auxiliary hawwe
indicative present tense past tense
1st singular begryp begriep
2nd singular begrypst begriepst
3rd singular begrypt begriep
plural begripe begriepen
imperative begryp
participles begripend begrepen

Further reading edit

  • begripe”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011