apprehension

/ˌa-pri-ˈhen(t)-shən/

Middle English, from Late Latin apprehension-, apprehensio, from Latin apprehendere seeapprehend

noun

  1. suspicion or fear especially of future evil : foreboding

  2. seizure by legal process : arrest

  3. the act or power of perceiving or comprehending something

an atmosphere of nervous apprehension