To put a muzzle on an animal, or to silence or restrict someone from speaking.
From the prefix 'be-' (meaning to cause or make) combined with 'muzzle' (from Old French 'musel', referring to the snout of an animal). The prefix 'be-' was used to turn nouns into verbs, creating the meaning 'to put a muzzle on' or figuratively 'to silence.'
The 'be-' prefix was incredibly productive in Middle English, turning everyday nouns into action verbs—'be-friend' literally meant 'to make into a friend,' and 'be-muzzle' meant 'to put in a muzzle.' English speakers loved adding 'be-' to nearly anything, though most of these creations eventually faded away.
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