To fasten or hold something tightly with clasps or an embrace.
From the prefix be- (meaning 'to make or cause') combined with clasp, which comes from Middle English claspen, likely of imitative origin representing the sound of closing. The be- prefix was used in Old English to create verbs meaning 'to cover with' or 'to surround.'
The prefix 'be-' was incredibly productive in Old and Middle English—it could turn almost any noun or adjective into a verb meaning 'to make' or 'to cover with,' which is why we have words like befriend and besmirch. Shakespeare used these be- verbs all the time to create new words on the fly, and while many fell out of fashion, some like 'become' are so old we forget the 'be-' even means anything!
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