Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
GRAB
I. verb (grabbed; grabbing)
Etymology: obsolete Dutch or Low German grabben
Date: circa 1581
transitive verb to take or seize by or as if by a sudden motion or grasp , to obtain unscrupulously , to take hastily ,
4. to seize the attention of , to impress favorably and deeply, intransitive verb to make a grab, see: take grabber noun
II. adjective
Date: 1608
intended to be grabbed , taken at random ,
III. noun
Date: 1777
1. something grabbed, a sudden snatch, an unlawful or unscrupulous seizure,
2. chiefly British a device for clutching an object, clamshell 2a