Meaning

noun a tool consisting of several hooks for grasping and holding; often thrown with a rope

noun a dredging bucket with hinges like the shell of a clam

noun the act of engaging in close hand-to-hand combat

originFrom 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 *gʰrebʰ- (“to take, seize, rake”), equivalent to grab + -le. Cognate with Dutch grabbelen (“to grope, scramble, scrabble”), German grabbeln (“to rummage, grope about”)…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0