Where does “Kidnapper” come from?

Kidnapper (German) comes from English kidnapper, from English kidnap, from English NAP, from French napper, from French -er, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er — he, she.

Kidnapper (German): kidnapper

Definitions

  1. kidnapper

Ancestry of “Kidnapper”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishkidnapperA person who kidnaps someone
2EnglishkidnapTo seize and detain a person unlawfully;...
3EnglishNAPAcronym of non-aggression principle; Acronym of...
4Frenchnapperto cover
5French-erForms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs
6English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
7Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
8Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
9Latin-ārefirst conjugation
10Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
11Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
12Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
13Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
14Chichewaiyehe, she
Every word from Chichewa iye