To hit or strike with a fist; to pummel or beat with clenched fists.
From 'be-' prefix combined with 'fist'. 'Fist' comes from Old English 'fȳst', from Proto-Germanic origins. The prefix suggests vigorous, intensive striking action.
Like 'befinger', 'befist' shows how Early Modern English speakers could turn body parts into action verbs—it's more visceral and emphatic than simply 'punch' or 'strike', suggesting repeated or forceful blows, which reveals how language structure itself can encode the intensity of an action.
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