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grip (v.)

Old English grippan "to grip, seize, obtain" (class I strong verb; past tense grap, past participle gripen), from West Germanic *greipanan (source also of Old High German gripfen "to rob," Old English gripan "to seize;" see gripe (v.)). Related: Gripped; gripping. French gripper "to seize," griffe "claw" are Germanic loan-words.

grip (n.)

c. 1200, "act of grasping or seizing; power or ability to grip," fusion of Old English gripe "grasp, clutch" and gripa "handful, sheaf" (see grip (v.)). Figurative use from mid-15c. Meaning "a handshake" (especially one of a secret society) is from 1785. Meaning "that by which anything is grasped" is from 1867. Meaning "stage hand" is from 1888, from their work shifting scenery.

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Definitions of grip from WordNet
1
grip (n.)
the act of grasping;
he has a strong grip for an old man
Synonyms: clasp / clench / clutch / clutches / grasp / hold
grip (n.)
the appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it;
it was an old briefcase but it still had a good grip
Synonyms: handle / handgrip / hold
grip (n.)
a portable rectangular container for carrying clothes;
Synonyms: bag / traveling bag / travelling bag / suitcase
grip (n.)
the friction between a body and the surface on which it moves (as between an automobile tire and the road);
Synonyms: traction / adhesive friction
grip (n.)
worker who moves the camera around while a film or television show is being made;
grip (n.)
an intellectual hold or understanding;
a good grip on French history
they kept a firm grip on the two top priorities
he was in the grip of a powerful emotion
Synonyms: grasp
grip (n.)
a flat wire hairpin whose prongs press tightly together; used to hold bobbed hair in place;
in Britain they call a bobby pin a grip
Synonyms: bobby pin / hairgrip
2
grip (v.)
hold fast or firmly;
He gripped the steering wheel
grip (v.)
to grip or seize, as in a wrestling match;
Synonyms: grapple
grip (v.)
to render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe;
From wordnet.princeton.edu