English
thirst trap
From thirst (“sexual lust”) + trap.
A compound of thirst ‘sexual lust’ + trap
Proto-Indo-European *ters- ‘dry’
Proto-Germanic *þurstuz ‘dryness, thirst’
Proto-West Germanic *þurstu
Old English þurst
Middle English thirst
English thirst
Proto-Indo-European *drebʰ- ‘to step, trip, trample’
…
Proto-West Germanic *trappjan ‘to step’
Proto-West Germanic *trappjā ‘trap, snare’
Old English træppe ‘trap, snare’
Middle English trappe
English trap
Today it means
noun A nonpornographic but sexually suggestive selfie or video posted on social media in order to elicit compliments or arouse thirst (sexual lust).
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “thirst trap”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / thirst trap