befang

B3E1F4A1N1G2
[bəˈfæŋ]

verb

To lay hold on; seize; grasp; catch; clutch.

“Come here an' I'll befang thee!”

OriginMiddle English befon ← Old English befōn →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

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

present singular third person befangs · participle present befanging · participle past befanged · past befanged · alternative befong

  1. UKYorkshiredialectaltransitiveTo lay hold on; seize; grasp; catch; clutch.

    Come here an' I'll befang thee!

  2. intransitiveobsoleteTo take hold on; begin or commence upon.
  3. obsoletetransitiveTo encompass; enclose; contain; comprehend.

Origin

  1. Old Englishbefōn“to surround, clasp, include, envelop, encase, clothe, comprehend, seize, attack (at law), lay hold of, catch, ensnare, contain, receive, conceive, explain”
  2. Middle Englishbefon
  3. Englishbefang

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”).

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

befang. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/befang

MLA

“befang.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/befang. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “befang,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/befang.

Source: befang on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.