Prendre
/pʁɑ̃dʁ/noun
A French verb meaning “to take,” also found in English legal and heraldic usage as a specialized loanword.
Did you know?Prendre comes from Latin prehendere, “to seize,” the same source behind English words such as apprehend, comprehend, and prison.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰreh₂-
“To grasp or seize; a proposed ancestral root connected with taking hold.”
Classical Latin
Latin
prehendere
“To seize, grasp, catch, or apprehend.”
Late Latin
Latin
prendere
“A contracted form of prehendere meaning “to take” or “to seize.””
Old French
Old French
prendre
“To take, grasp, capture, or receive.”
Modern French
French
prendre
“To take, obtain, consume, catch, or adopt, depending on context.”
English loan usage
English
prendre
“A specialized legal or heraldic term meaning to take or seize.”
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