Grab
/ɡræb/noun
To seize and hold suddenly or roughly.
Did you know?English grab is likely a later borrowing from a Low German word meaning “to seize” or “to claw,” and its hard, abrupt sound matches the action so closely that it feels almost onomatopoeic.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*grabōną
“to seize, snatch, or claw”
Middle Low German
MLG
grappen
“to seize, clutch”
Middle Dutch
MDu
grabbelen
“to grope or snatch”
16th Century
English
grabben
“to seize or snatch”
Modern English
English
grab
“to seize suddenly or roughly”