pre·hen·sion 
(prē-hĕnshən)
(prē-hĕnshən)n.
1. The act of grasping or seizing.
2.
a. Apprehension by the senses.
b. Understanding.
[Latin prehēnsiō, prehēnsiōn-, from prehēnsus, past participle of prehendere, to seize; see ghend- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]