grasping

understanding with difficulty; "the lecture was beyond his most strenuous graspings"

the act of gripping something firmly with the hands (or the tentacles)

immoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth; "they are avaricious and will do anything for money"; "casting covetous eyes on his neighbor's fields"; "a grasping old miser"; "grasping commercialism"; "greedy for money and power"; "grew richer and greedier"; "prehensile employers stingy with raises for their employees"