Where does “claptrap” come from?
Claptrap derives from English trap and Swedish trapp, tracing back through Old English clæppan and Medieval Latin claperius to the Proto-Indo-European root drem-.
claptrap (English): Empty verbiage or nonsense; A device for...
Definitions
- Empty verbiage or nonsense; A device for...
Ancestry of “claptrap”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | clap | The act of striking the palms of the hands, or... |
| 2 | Old French | clapoir | bubo, inflammation from infection |
| 3 | Old French | clapier | brothel |
| 4 | Old Occitan | clapier | rabbit hutch |
| 5 | Old Occitan | clap | heap of stones |
| 6 | Medieval Latin | claperius | — |
Words derived from “claptrap”