# hasp

> English word · Noun · IPA /hæsp/

## Definitions
1. A clasp, especially a metal strap fastened by a padlock or a pin; also, a hook for fastening a door.
2. A spindle to wind yarn, thread, or silk on.
3. Alternative form of hesp (“measure of linen thread”).
4. An instrument for cutting the surface of grassland; a scarifier.

## Etymology
From Middle English haspe, hespe, from Old English hæsp, hæpse (“hasp; clasp; fastening”), from Proto-West Germanic *haspijā, from Proto-Germanic *haspijǭ, *hapsijǭ (“hasp”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kamb- (“to bend; crook”).
Cognate with Middle Dutch haspe, Middle Low German haspe, hespe, German Low German Haspel (“spindle of yarn”), German Häspe, Danish haspe, Swedish hasp, Icelandic hespa (“clamp; hasp; skein of yarn”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hasp