greifen
See also: Greifen
German
Etymology
From Middle High German grifen, from Old High German grīfan, from Proto-Germanic *grīpaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰreyb- (“to grab, grasp”). Cognate with German Low German griepen, Dutch grijpen, English grip, Danish gribe.
Pronunciation
Verb
- (transitive) to grab; to grasp; to grip (something)
- (transitive) to grab; to seize; to snatch (in an aggressive way)
- (intransitive) to reach; to grab
- an etwas greifen — “to touch something” (literally, “to grab onto something”)
- nach etwas greifen — “to reach for something”
- zu etwas greifen — “to reach for something”
- in etwas greifen — “to reach into something”
- (transitive) to capture (someone)
- (transitive, music, chords) to strike
- 1931, Arthur Schnitzler, Flucht in die Finsternis, S. Fischer Verlag, page 14:
- Er begab sich ins Klavierzimmer, griff ein paar Akkorde auf dem verstimmten Flügel, verließ aber bald wieder den Raum, [...]
- He went to the piano room, struck a few chords on the out-of-tune grand piano, but soon left the room again, [...]
- Er begab sich ins Klavierzimmer, griff ein paar Akkorde auf dem verstimmten Flügel, verließ aber bald wieder den Raum, [...]
- 1931, Arthur Schnitzler, Flucht in die Finsternis, S. Fischer Verlag, page 14:
- (intransitive) to take hold; to bite
- Trotz des schlechten Wetters griffen die Reifen hervorragend — The tires did bite perfectly despite the bad weather.
Conjugation
Synonyms
- (capture): schnappen, fassen
- (music): anschlagen
Derived terms
Related terms
- Grips m
Further reading
- “greifen” in Duden online
Categories:
- German terms inherited from Middle High German
- German terms derived from Middle High German
- German terms inherited from Old High German
- German terms derived from Old High German
- German terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- German terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- German terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- German 2-syllable words
- German terms with IPA pronunciation
- German terms with audio links
- German transitive verbs
- German intransitive verbs
- de:Music