Where does “kidnapping” come from?
Kidnapping derives from English kidnap, from English kid and English knap, tracing to French nappe and Latin formations built on Proto-Indo-European gnebʰ-, meaning to pinch or scrape.
kidnapping (English): present participle of kidnap; The crime of taking...
Definitions
- present participle of kidnap; The crime of taking...
Ancestry of “kidnapping”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | kidnap | To seize and detain a person unlawfully;... |
| 2 | English | NAP | Acronym of non-aggression principle; Acronym of... |
| 3 | French | napper | to cover |
| 4 | French | -er | Forms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs |
| 5 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 6 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 7 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 8 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 13 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |