Befang

/[bəˈfæŋ]/ verb

verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To lay hold on; seize; grasp; catch; clutch. UK, Yorkshire, dialectal, transitive

    "Come here an' I'll befang thee!"

  2. 2
    To take hold on; begin or commence upon. intransitive, obsolete
  3. 3
    To encompass; enclose; contain; comprehend. obsolete, transitive

Example

More examples

"Come here an' I'll befang thee!"

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”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.