enterprise

Enterprise comes through Old French and Middle French entreprise, the feminine past participle of entreprendre, "to undertake," itself built from entre ("between") and prendre ("to take").

The word entered Middle English still carrying its French sense of something "taken up" or undertaken, and that core idea of grasping a task has stayed with it into modern English.

Prendre traces back to Latin prehendō, the same root behind prehensile — so an enterprise and a prehensile grip share the ancient sense of taking hold.