Clasp
/klæsp/noun
To hold tightly or fasten with a device that grips; also, a device for fastening.
Did you know?Clasp is tied to a Germanic root meaning “to seize” or “grasp,” which is why it also gave English the older verb forms in the same family as grip and grasp.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*klasp-
“to seize, clasp, or grip tightly”
Old English
OE
clæpsan
“to clasp or embrace”
Middle English
ME
claspen
“to fasten, enclose, or hold tightly”
14th Century
English
clasp
“a fastening device; to hold fast”
Modern English
English
clasp
“to hold tightly or a fastening that closes by gripping”