a vulture; the griffin.-to catch with the hand; to clasp closely with the fingers; to clutch.-to seize and hold fast; to embrace closely.-to pinch; to distress. specifically, to cause pinching and spasmodic pain to the bowels of, as by the effects of certain purgative or indigestible substances.-to clutch, hold, or pinch a thing, esp. money, with a gripe or as with a gripe.-to suffer griping pains.-to tend to come up into the wind, as a ship which, when sailing closehauled, requires constant labor at the helm.-grasp; seizure; fast hold; clutch.-that on which the grasp is put; a handle; a grip; as, the gripe of a sword.-a device for grasping or holding anything; a brake to stop a wheel.-oppression; cruel exaction; affiction; pinching distress; as, the gripe of poverty.-pinching and spasmodic pain in the intestines; -- chiefly used in the plural.-the piece of timber which terminates the keel at the fore end; the forefoot.-the compass or sharpness of a ship's stern under the water, having a tendency to make her keep a good wind.-an assemblage of ropes, dead-eyes, and hocks, fastened to ringbolts in the deck, to secure the boats when hoisted; also, broad bands passed around a boat to secure it at the davits and prevent swinging.