Before stating my question I'd like to go ahead and post the definitions of two words from Meriam-Webster:

ap·pre·hend
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin apprehendere, literally, to seize, from ad- + prehendere to seize -- more at GET
Date: 15th century
transitive senses
1 : ARREST, SEIZE <apprehend a thief>
2 a : to become aware of : PERCEIVE b : to anticipate especially with anxiety, dread, or fear
3 : to grasp with the understanding : recognize the meaning of
intransitive senses : UNDERSTAND, GRASP

apprehensive:
Function: adjective
Date: 14th century
1 : capable of apprehending or quick to do so : DISCERNING
2 : having apprehension : COGNIZANT
3 : viewing the future with anxiety or alarm

My question is, how did apprehensive aquire its connotation of anxiety? Merriam-Webster's first two entries for the word seem much more literal, yet I never hear anybody use "apprehensive" to describe someone who is perceptive or a quick learner. Apprehend, on the other hand, seems to be commonly used both as "to seize" and "to understand."