Etymologically
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trigger

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtɹɪɡə/ (UK); /ˈtɹɪɡɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is an alteration of earlier tricker,[2][3][4] borrowed from Dutch trekker (“trigger”), from trekken (“to pull”) (see trek).[2][3][5] Compare German Drücker (“trigger”), from drücken, to press.[3] Tricker remained the usual form until about 1750, perhaps influenced by trick.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A catch or lever that releases a spring or mechanism: 1621 as tricker, 1660 as trigger in Barnhart;[2] the OED has 1621.[6]

Semantic evolution

The catch of a firearm, pressed by the finger to fire it, is from 1622.[6] Figurative uses are from 1706.[6] The trigger finger is by 1814,[3] and trigger-happy by 1942.[3] The verb, to set off an explosion or cause something to happen, is from 1930.[2][3] In electronics a trigger is a signal that causes a change of state (1948).[6] The psychological sense, to cause a strong negative emotional reaction, is attested by 1986.[3]

Timeline

  • 1621 – tricker, a releasing catch.[2][6]
  • 1660 – the spelling trigger.[2]
  • 1814 – trigger finger.[3]
  • 1930 – the verb.[2][3]
  • 1942 – trigger-happy.[3]
  • 1986 – to provoke an emotional reaction.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A small lever pressed to fire a gun.
  2. A device that releases a spring or catch to set a mechanism working.
  3. An event or thing that causes something else to happen.

Verb

  1. To set off or cause something to happen; to initiate.
  2. To fire or set off a device by a trigger.
  3. To cause an intense emotional reaction in someone, especially by reminding them of a trauma.

Word family

  • triggered
  • triggerfish
  • trigger-happy
  • triggerman
  • hair-trigger
  • trigger finger
  • trigger point

Usage notes

SOED and the OED record a separate trigger, a brake or device to stop a wheel (late 16th century), from trig, to stop, now dialectal.[7][6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press