Etymograph

English

trape

Trape may come from Medieval Latin *trappa ‘trap’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *der- ‘to walk, step’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*der-1‘to walk, step’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dreb-1uncertain
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*trap-1uncertain
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150træppe//treppe1‘trap, snare’uncertain
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500*trappa1‘trap’uncertain
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1678trape1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English trape
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1678, Samuel Butler: “Hard was his fate in this I own, ¶…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*der-Wiktionary, English trape‘to walk, step’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dreb-Wiktionary, English trapeuncertain
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*trap-Wiktionary, English trapeuncertain
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150træppe//treppeWiktionary, English trape‘trap, snare’uncertain
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500*trappaWiktionary, English trape‘trap’uncertain
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1678trapeWiktionary, English trape. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1678, Samuel Butler: “Hard was his fate in this I own, ¶…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *der- ‘to walk, step’

tear, truck, tart, turd, dermatology, dermatitis, pander, tirade, tarn, dermis, derm, 15 more

Today it means

noun A messy or untidy woman.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “trape”. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *der- / trape

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