grapple

English

WOTD – 3 June 2016

Two marines practicing grappling techniques during a United States Marine Corps Martial Arts Program

Alternative forms

• graple (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹæp.əl/
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) Rhymes: -æpəl
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) Hyphenation: grap‧ple
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter)

  Audio (CA):

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle English *grapplen (“to seize, lay hold of”), from Old English *græpplian (“to seize”) (compare Old English ġegræppian (“to seize”)), from Proto-Germanic *graipilōną, *grabbalōną (“to seize”), from Proto-Indo-European *ghreb(h)-, *ghrab(h)- (“to take, seize, rake”), equivalent to grab +‎ -le. Cognate with Dutch grabbelen (“to grope, scramble, scrabble”), German grabbeln (“to rummage, grope about”) and grapsen, grapschen (“to seize, grasp, grabble”). Influenced in some senses by grapple (“tool with claws or hooks”, noun) (see below). See further at grasp.

Verb

1. (transitive) To seize something and hold it firmly.
2. (transitive, figuratively) Normally used with with: to ponder and intensely evaluate a problem.

   to grapple with one's conscience

3. (transitive) To fasten, as with a grapple; to fix; to join indissolubly.
   • Hakluyt

     The gallies were grappled to the Centurion.

   • Shakespeare

     Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel.

4. (intransitive) To use a grapple.
5. (intransitive) To wrestle or tussle.

Translations

to seize and hold firmly

• Bulgarian: хващам (bg) (hvaštam), сграбчвам (bg) (sgrabčvam)
• Finnish: tarttua (fi)
• German: packen (de), ergreifen (de)
• Maori: rarawhi, rawhirawhi
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian: gripe
• Persian: چنگ زدن (fa) (čang zadan)
• Portuguese: agarrar (pt)

to ponder and intensely evaluate a problem

• Bulgarian: боря се (borja se), преодолявам (bg) (preodoljavam)
• Finnish: paneutua (fi), pohtia (fi)
• German: auseinandersetzen (de) (reflexive), herumschlagen (reflexive)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Persian: دست و پنجه نرم کردن (dast-o-panje narm kardan)
• Portuguese: abordar (pt), lidar (pt)
• Romanian: a se lupta cu (ceva)

to wrestle or struggle

• Bulgarian: боря се (borja se)
• Finnish: painia (fi)
• German: ringen (de), kämpfen (de)
• Maori: nōnoke, whātōtō, nonoke
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Persian: دست به یقه شدن (dast be yaqe šodan)
• Portuguese: lutar (pt)
• Romanian: a se lupta

Etymology 2

A grappling hook, which is a type of grapple

A grapple, or grapnel anchor

From Middle English *grapple, *graple, from Old French grappil (“a ship's grapple”) (compare Old French grappin (“hook”)), from Old French grape, grappe, crape (“hook”), of Germanic origin, from Old Frankish *krappō (“hook”), from Proto-Germanic *krappô, *krappą (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European *grep- (“hook”), *gremb- (“crooked, uneven”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, bend, twist”). See further at grape.

Noun

grapple (countable and uncountable, plural grapples)

1. A tool with claws or hooks which is used to catch or hold something.
   1. (nautical) A device consisting of iron claws, attached to the end of a rope, used for grasping and holding an enemy ship prior to boarding; a grappling iron.
   2. (nautical) A grapnel (“type of anchor”).
2. A close hand-to-hand struggle.
3. (uncountable) The act of grappling.

Translations

tool with claws or hooks

• Bulgarian: абордажна кука f (abordažna kuka)
• Dutch: enterhaak (nl)
• Finnish: koura (fi)
• French: grappin (fr) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: rampino (it) m, raffio m
• Persian: چنگک (fa) (čangak)
• Russian: ко́шка (ru) f (kóška)
• Spanish: arpeo m

a close hand-to-hand struggle

• Bulgarian: абордаж (bg) m (abordaž)
• Dutch: worsteling (nl)
• Finnish: paini (fi), käsirysy (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: lutte (fr) f, combat (fr) m
• Italian: lotta (it) f
• Maori: nōnoketanga

act of grappling

• Dutch: entering (nl)
• Finnish: tarttuminen (fi)
• French: abordage (fr) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: presa (it) f, stretta (it) f
• Persian: چنگ (fa) (čang)
• Portuguese: agarramento m

Verb

grapple (third-person singular simple present grapples, present participle grappling, simple past and past participle grappled)

1. (transitive or intransitive) To climb.