clasp

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun A fastening, such as a hook or buckle, used to hold two or more objects or parts together.
• noun An embrace or hug.
• noun A grip or grasp of the hand.
• noun A small metal bar or other device attached to the ribbon of a military decoration to indicate the action or service for which it was awarded or an additional award of the same medal.
• transitive verb To fasten with or as if with a clasp.
• transitive verb To hold in a tight embrace.
• transitive verb To grip firmly in or with the hand; grasp.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun In the British army, a narrow flat bar of metal forming part of a military decoration, and bearing the name of some action at which the bearer was present.
• To catch and hold by twining or embracing; surround and cling to, as a vine to a tree; embrace closely; inclose or encompass, as with the arms, hands, or fingers; grasp.
• To shut or fasten together with or as with a clasp.
• To cling.
• To attach holdfasts of metal to the outer edges of (a book-cover) to prevent its yawning or warping.
• noun A catch or hook used to hold together two things, or two parts of the same thing.
• noun Specifically— A broad, flat hook or catch used to hold together the covers of a book.
• noun A hook used to hold together two parts of a garment, or serve as an ornament: as, a cloak-clasp. See agraffe, brooch, fermail.
• noun A small piece of tin or other metal passed through or around two objects, and bent over to fasten them together.
• noun In spinning, an arrangement consisting of two horizontal beams, the upper pressed upon the lower one, or lifted for drawing out the thread.
• noun A clinging or grasping, especially of the arms or hands; a close embrace.
• noun In entomology, the claspers at the end of the male abdomen, designed for retaining the female.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun 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.
• noun A close embrace; a throwing of the arms around; a grasping, as with the hand.
• noun a large knife, the blade of which folds or shuts into the handle.
• noun a lock which closes or secures itself by means of a spring.
• transitive verb To shut or fasten together with, or as with, a clasp; to shut or fasten (a clasp, or that which fastens with a clasp).
• transitive verb To inclose and hold in the hand or with the arms; to grasp; to embrace.
• transitive verb To surround and cling to; to entwine about.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun A fastener or holder, particularly one that clasps.
• noun An embrace, a grasp, or handshake.
• verb transitive To take hold of; to grasp; to grab tightly.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• verb grasp firmly
• noun the act of grasping
• noun a fastener (as a buckle or hook) that is used to hold two things together
• verb hold firmly and tightly
• verb fasten with or as if with a brooch
• verb fasten with a buckle or buckles