Meanings
trapping1
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of trap
plural trappings
- An instance of ensnaring something or someone.
- The capturing of furbearing animals in traps so as to harvest them for their pelts.
trapping2
plural trappings
- An ornamental covering or harness for a horse; caparison.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounstable gear consisting of a decorated covering for a horse, especially (formerly) for a warhorse
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
trapping · noun
- Proto-Indo-European*drāp-
- Proto-Germanic*trabō
- Frankish*traba, *trapa“cloth, thread, rag”
- Medieval Latintrapus“cloth”
- Middle Englishtrappyng
- Englishtrapping
From Middle English trappyng, trappynge, from trap, trappe (“personal belongings, owndom, household goods”) (compare Middle English trappen (“to deck, caparison”)), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Anglo-Norman, from Medieval Latin trapus (“cloth”), from Frankish *traba, *trapa (“cloth, thread, rag”), from Proto-Germanic *trabō, *trafą, *trēb (“fringe, rags”), from Proto-Indo-European *drāp-, *drāb- (“rag”). Akin to Old High German traba (“fringe, tatters, thread”), Old Norse traf (“headscarf”). Compare Spanish trapo (“rag”).
More words from Middle English, Medieval Latin, Frankish
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with trapping
All rhymes →Cite this entry
trapping. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trapping
“trapping.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trapping. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “trapping,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trapping.
Source: trapping on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.