befang

English

Alternative forms

befong

Etymology

From Middle English befon (past participle befangen), from Old English befōn (“to surround, clasp, include, envelop, encase, clothe, comprehend, seize, attack (at law), lay hold of, catch, ensnare, contain, receive, conceive, explain”), equivalent to be- +‎ fang. Cognate with Dutch bevangen (“to seize”), Middle High German bevāhen (“to comprehend”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [bəˈfæŋ]

Verb

befang (third-person singular simple present befangs, present participle befanging, simple past and past participle befanged)

(transitive, Britain dialectal, Yorkshire) To lay hold on; seize; grasp; catch; clutch.
Come here an' I'll befang thee!
(intransitive, obsolete) To take hold on; begin or commence upon.
(transitive, obsolete) To encompass; enclose; contain; comprehend.

References

Wright, Joseph (1898) The English Dialect Dictionary‎, volume 1, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 225
Philological Society (Great Britain), A new English dictionary on historical principles, Befong.

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