To make lame or crippled; to severely damage or disable someone or something.
From 'be-' combined with 'cripple' (from Old English crypel, related to Germanic roots meaning bent or crooked). The prefix intensifies the action of disabling.
This word appears in older medical texts where disease would 'becripple' patients, and in military contexts where injuries would 'becripple' soldiers. The verb form allowed writers to emphasize the completeness of the disability, not just partial injury. It's powerful and somewhat disturbing language.
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