clasp
noun
- any of several types of fasteners for clothing, often of precious metals
verb
- hold, as by hands
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /klæsp/ / /klɑːsp/ / /klasp/
noun
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.
- A device with interlocking parts used for fastening things together, such as a fastener or a holder.
“I always have a hard time working the clasp on this necklace!”
- 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.
- An embrace, a grasp, or handshake.
“He took her hand in a firm clasp.”
“How few! yet how they creep / Through my fingers to the deep, / While I weep—while I weep! / O God! can I not grasp / Them with a tighter clasp?”
verb
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.
- To take hold of; to grasp.
“They clasped hands and parted as friends.”
“And when the Boy dropped off to sleep, the Rabbit would snuggle down close under his little warm chin and dream, with the Boy's hands clasped close round him all night long.”
- To shut or fasten together with, or as if with, a clasp.
- To cling.