To tangle up completely or to ensnare in something twisted and confused; to entangle thoroughly.
From 'be-' (intensive prefix) + 'tangle' (from Middle English 'tangelen,' possibly from Scandinavian). The intensive 'be-' prefix emphasizes the severity or completeness of the tangling.
'Betangle' shows how the 'be-' prefix worked as an intensifier—'tangle' means to twist, but 'betangle' means to twist so badly it's almost permanent, a distinction that made sense in speech before we invented '-really' and '-super.'
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