Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “rattraper” come from?

rattraper (French) comes from French attraper, from French trapper, from French trappe, from Middle French trappe, from Old French trape, from Medieval Latin trappa, from Frankish trappa, from Proto-Germanic trap- — to split, to separate; to tear, to crack, to...

rattraper (French): to get back; to catch up; to catch

Definitions

  1. to get back; to catch up; to catch

Ancestry of “rattraper”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchattraperto trap; to catch
2FrenchtrapperTo trap
3Frenchtrappehatch or trap door; trap
4Middle Frenchtrappe—
5Old Frenchtrapetrap; hiding place
6Medieval Latintrappa—
7Frankishtrappatrap, snare
8Proto-Germanictrap-—
9Proto-Indo-Europeandreb-—
10Proto-Indo-Europeander-to split, to separate; to tear, to crack, to...

Words derived from “rattraper”

  • rattrapage
Every word from Proto-Indo-European der- →