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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

  1. present participle of kidnap; The crime of taking...

Ancestry of “kidnapping”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishkidnapTo seize and detain a person unlawfully;...
2EnglishNAPAcronym of non-aggression principle; Acronym of...
3Frenchnapperto cover
4French-erForms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs
5English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
6Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
7Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
8Latin-āre—
9Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
10Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
11Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
12Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
13Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “kidnapping”

  • antikidnapping
  • kidnapping
  • kidnapping
  • kidnapping
  • kidnapping
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