The present participle of 'benet,' an archaic verb meaning to catch or ensnare in a net, or to trap.
From Old English or Old French 'benet,' possibly derived from 'ben-' (prefix to cause) and 'net.' This is an extremely archaic term rarely used in modern English.
Medieval hunters and fishermen had dozens of specialized trapping words—'benetting,' 'snaring,' 'trapping'—each describing slightly different capture techniques, a vocabulary that's mostly disappeared with hunting itself.
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