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be-fón

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to seize, catch, take,
of persons
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  • Ýþelíce þú his hond beféhst,

      Nar. 31, 24.

  • Hé (þone méce) mid handa beféng,

      Exod. 415.
to seize, take forcible possession of:--
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  • Laumeneda beféng ealle Asirie,

    • Ors. 3, 11
      • ;
    • S. 142, 28.
implying restraint :--
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  • Se anwealda hæfð ealle his gesceafta mid his brídle befangene,

    • Bt. 21
      • ;
    • F. 74, 6.
to seize a criminal, lost property, :--
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  • Mon forstæl ǽnne wimman Ælfsige . . . Ðá beféng Ælfsige þone mann æt Wulfstáne,

      Cht. Th. 206, 23.

  • Gif þiéfefioh mon æt ciépan befó,

      Ll. Th. i. 118, 13.

  • Sé geypte déman þæt Tiburtius wæs crísten, and hé wæs befangen,

      Shrn. 116, 24.
to take in the act:--
In dernelegerscip befóen in adulterio deprehensam,
    Jn. L. 8, 3.
to catch, get to see a person :--
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  • Gang tó ðám Godes menn ꝥ þú hine befó ǽr his forðsíðe,

      Hml. S. 3, 649.
to get, attain to :--
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  • ꝥte þá úe bifóe (contingamus) ðóhte,

      Rtl. 71, 21.
of things
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  • Cwaecung biféng (adprehendit) hié,

      Ps. Srt. 47, 7.

  • Heó mid wundrunge wearð befangen,

      Hml. S. 2, 251.

  • Wearð hé befangen mid hreónesse

    he was caught in a storm,

      Gr. D. 248, 18.

  • Is tó ongietanne æt hú micelre scylde ðá beóð befangne

    quanta culpa involvantur aspiciant,

      Past. 377, 23.
to surround, encompass.
to enclose,
to serve as a covering for, contain
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  • Beféhþ

    circumgirat,

      An. Ox. 696.

  • Beféhð

    ambit,

      23, 38.

  • Þæs mǽdenes fex beféng hí eall ábútan,

      Hml. S. 7, 145.

  • Þone ne magon befón heofon and eorþe,

      Bl. H. 5, 34.

  • Þeós circe mihte fíf hund manna befón,

      207, 14.

  • Be-fangen

    circumamicta,

      An. Ox. 1024.

  • Ylp is mid bánum befangen binnan þám felle,

      Hml. S. 25, 567.

  • Heora breósta beóð mid byrnum befangene,

      Wlfst. 200, 13.
to put into a covering
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  • Eal folc Róm-wara beféng þá líchoman on þǽre stówe Catacumbe,

      Bl. H. 193, II.

  • Befóh útan mid golde,

      Past. 169, 23.

  • Swá micel swá þú mid twám handum mæge befón,

      Lch. ii. 238, 12.
to encircle,
to lie round
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  • Asia is befangen (circumcincta) mid þǽm gársecge súþan and norþan and eástan,

    • Ors. l, I
      • ;
    • S. 8, 7: 12, 12.

  • Hié wǽron on ǽlce healfe útan befangen,

    • 5, 7
      • ;
    • S. 230, 19.
to place round
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  • Befóþ

    cingunt, circumdant,

      An. Ox. 2040.

  • Hé beféng

    circumdedit (me gemmis ),

      4294.

  • Hé beféng mínne swíðran mid stánum,

      Hml. S. 7, 32.

  • Hé mid his earmum beféng his cneówu,

      Gr. D. 36, 23.

  • Hé nolde his heáfod befón mid cynehelme,

      Hml. Th. i. 162, 13.
of abstract objects,
to include, contain, comprise
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  • Seó forme bóc beféhð þás racu,

      Ælfc. T. Grn. 3, 19.

  • Helmstán þis eal on þon áþe beféng,

      Cht. Th. 170, 27.

  • Befongen

    compressa.

      Wrt. Voc. ii. 22, 15.
to surround with words, furnish with a commentary :--
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  • Ús gedafenað þæt wé underfón Drihtnes trahtnunge, and ðá ðing þe hé lǽfde ús tó trahtmigenne wé sceolon mid scortre race ðá befón,

      Hml. Th. ii. 90, 5.
with prep, on.
to have to do with an object
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  • Se fæder nyste hú hé beféng on hig

    ille non sensit quando accubuit filia,

      Gen. 19, 33.

  • Gif hwylc man mid arwan deór ofsceóte . . . and hit man ymbe. iii. niht deád finde, and þǽr hund oþþe wulf on befangen hæbbe (have had any-thing to do with it; eam occupaverit),

      Ll. Th. ii. 212, 22.
to engage in an occupation, get involved in an action
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  • Ðonne hwá on ðá leásunga beféhð, ðonne ne mæg hé of,

      Past. 239, 12.

  • Ðonne se Godes ðiów on ðæt gemearr ðǽre woruldsorga beféhð

    quem curarum secularium impedi-mentum praepedit,

      401, 21.

  • Gif hwǽm gebyrige ðæt hé on ðá tǽlinge his hláfordes befoo . . . on ðæs hwæt befoo ðe wið his willan sié,

      199, 14, 23.

  • ꝥte nǽnig mon ne geþristlǽece on þone hálgan dæg on nán weoruldweorc befón,

      Ll. Th. ii. 420, 22.

  • Ǽr hé hæbbe godcunde bóte underfangen and wið ðá mǽgðe on bóte befangen (set his hand to the work of making bót to the kin).

      Ll. Th. i. 248, 25.
Etymology
[
O. Sax. bi-fáhan
:
O. Frs. bi-fá
:
O. H. Ger. pi-fáhan.
]
Similar entries
v. bi-fón, æt-befón in Dict.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “be-fón.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/39745.

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