Where does “kidnap” come from?
Kidnap derives from English kid and English knap, blending kid with knap meaning to strike or snap, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gnebʰ- meaning to pinch or scrape.
kidnap (English): To seize and detain a person unlawfully;...
Definitions
- To seize and detain a person unlawfully;...
Ancestry of “kidnap”, step by step
kidnap traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English NAP
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | NAP | Acronym of non-aggression principle; Acronym of... |
| 2 | French | napper | to cover |
| 3 | French | -er | Forms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs |
| 4 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 5 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 6 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 7 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 12 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |