Etymology

betrap

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Today it means: To catch in a trap; entrap; ensnare; enclose. Full definition →

Middle English betrappen ← Old English betræppan ← Proto-West Germanic *bitrappjan
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betrap · verb1

  1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*bitrappjan
  2. Old English · inherited frombetræppan
  3. Middle English · inherited frombetrappen
  4. English todaybetrap

From Middle English betrappen, bitrappen, from Old English betræppan, betreppan (“to entrap, catch”), from Proto-West Germanic *bitrappjan, equivalent to be- + trap. Cognate with West Frisian betrappe, betraapje (“to catch, surprise”), Dutch betrappen (“to catch, surprise”).

betrap · verb2

From be- + trap.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.