to injure or permanently disable someone by damaging their body.
From 'be-' plus 'maim' (to cause serious injury). The 'be-' intensifies the action of maiming, suggesting a complete or thorough disabling.
Shakespeare and medieval writers loved the 'be-' prefix to make verbs sound more dramatic and final—'bemaim' suggests not just injuring but truly crippling someone, which is why it sounds so archaic and intense today.
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