clasp

== English == === Etymology === Noun dated ca. 1300 and verb dated ca. 1400; from Middle English claspe (“metal catch or hook used to hold things together”), possible metathesis of clapse, which comes from or related to Old English clyppan (“clasp”) (also see clip (verb)). Related to English enclasp (“embrace, hold tightly in one's arms”). Compare hasp, of very similar meaning but older known provenance. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /klɑːsp/, /klæsp/ (Northern England, Scotland) IPA(key): /klasp/ (General American) IPA(key): /klæsp/ Rhymes: -ɑːsp, -æsp === Noun === clasp (plural clasps) (countable) A device with interlocking parts used for fastening things together, such as a fastener or a holder. (countable) A bar or insignia on a medal ribbon, to either indicate an additional award of the medal, or the action or service for which it was awarded. (uncountable) An embrace, a grasp, or handshake. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === clasp (third-person singular simple present clasps, present participle clasping, simple past and past participle clasped) (transitive) To take hold of; to grasp. (transitive) To shut or fasten together with, or as if with, a clasp. (intransitive, obsolete, rare) To cling. ==== Synonyms ==== beclasp (dated) (grasp tightly): begrip, grasp, grip; See also Thesaurus:grasp (shut with a clasp): (shut as if with a clasp): attach, join, put together; see also Thesaurus:join ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== enclasp ==== Translations ==== === References === “clasp, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022. “clasp, n.”, in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2026, sourced from Collins English Dictionary, 12th edition, Glasgow: Collins, 2014, →ISBN “clasp, n.”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN. “clasp, v.”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “clasp, v.”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. === Anagrams === calps, claps, scalp