An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/greifen

by Friedrich Kluge

greifen, vb., ‘to grasp, seize,’ from the equiv. MidHG. grîfen, OHG. grîfan, str. vb.; corresponding to OSax. grîpan, Du. grijpen, AS. grîpan, E. to gripe, Goth. greipan, ‘to seize, lay hold of’; a common Teut. vb., whence Fr. gripper, ‘to clutch,’ and griffe, ‘claw.’ In the non-Teut. languages there exists an allied Aryan root ghrī̆b, in Lith. greibiu, greibti, ‘to seize,’ and Lett. griba, ‘will,’ gribêt, ‘to wish.’