καταλαβαίνω

Etymology: From Ancient Greek καταλαμβάνω (katalambánō), meaning 'to seize', 'to grasp', composed of κατά (katá, 'down', 'completely') + λαμβάνω (lambánō, 'to take', 'to grasp'). The semantic shift from physical grasping to mental comprehension reflects a common cognitive metaphor across languages where understanding is conceptualized as 'grasping' a concept. Compare with English 'to grasp' or 'to comprehend' (from Latin 'comprehendere', literally 'to seize together').