CLASP

clasp, clench, clutch, clutches, grasp, grip, hold

(noun) the act of grasping; “he released his clasp on my arm”; “he has a strong grip for an old man”; “she kept a firm hold on the railing”

clasp

(noun) a fastener (as a buckle or hook) that is used to hold two things together

clasp

(verb) hold firmly and tightly

clasp

(verb) grasp firmly; “The child clasped my hands”

buckle, clasp

(verb) fasten with a buckle or buckles

brooch, clasp

(verb) fasten with or as if with a brooch

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

clasp (plural clasps)

A fastener or holder, particularly one that clasps.

(in the singular) An embrace, a grasp, or handshake.

Verb

clasp (third-person singular simple present clasps, present participle clasping, simple past and past participle clasped)

(transitive) To take hold of; to grasp; to grab tightly.

To shut or fasten together with, or as if with, a clasp.

Synonyms

• (grasp tightly): begrip, grasp, grip; See also grasp

• (shut with a clasp)

• (shut as if with a clasp): attach, join, put together; see also join

Anagrams

• calps, claps, scalp

Source: Wiktionary

Clasp, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clasped; p. pr. & vb. n. Clasping] Etym: [OE. claspen, clapsen, prob. akin to E. clap.]

1. To shut or fasten together with, or as with, a clasp; to shut or fasten (a clasp, or that which fastens with a clasp).

2. To inclose and hold in the hand or with the arms; to grasp; to embrace.

3. To surround and cling to; to entwine about. "Clasping ivy." Milton.

Clasp, n.

1. An adjustable catch, bent plate, or hook, for holding together two objects or the parts of anything, as the ends of a belt, the covers of a book, etc.

2. A close embrace; a throwing of the arms around; a grasping, as with the hand. Clasp knife, a large knife, the blade of which folds or shuts into the handle.

– Clasp lock, a lock which closes or secures itself by means of a spring.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition