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attraper

Etymology and origin of the French word attraper

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1165 (atraper)
Ultimate origin
Frankish (*trappa)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.tʁa.pe/[1]

Forms

attraper[1] Old French atraper (about 1165); attraper from the 14th century.[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from trappe “trap” with the prefix a- and a verb ending: “to catch in a trap”.[4][2][3][5][6] “Trappe” is from West Germanic, perhaps Frankish, Frankish *trappa, related to Middle Dutch trappe (“noose”).[5][7]

Compare Old Occitan atrapar, from which Spanish atrapar and Italian attrappare were taken.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

About 1165–70 it means to catch in a trap, a sense used until the 14th century and still by La Fontaine; about 1200 it is used for seizing a person or animal.[4][8][3]

Semantic evolution

Early on, in Picard about 1200, it also meant to trick someone; later it meant to entice (1465) and to catch in the act (1564).[4] In classical French it meant to obtain, reach, often by cunning (attraper son but, Racine, 1669), to grasp with the mind (1689) and to get to the end of something (1678).[4] Attraper also meant to hit (Scarron, 1644).[4]

Catching an illness (attraper un rhume) and catching a ball or a train belong to the general sense “to catch”, Delvau (1864) has it for scolding someone, and s'attraper “to quarrel” is from 1878.[8][9][1]

Timeline

  • c. 1165 – Atraper “to catch in a trap”.[4]
  • c. 1200 – To seize; to trick.[4]
  • 14th century – Attraper; the derivative attrape.[2][5]
  • 1644 – To hit, Scarron.[4]
  • 1669 – Attraper son but, Racine.[4]
  • 1864 – To scold, Delvau.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To catch (a person, an animal, a ball): attraper un voleur, attraper une balle.[3][1]
  2. To catch (an illness): attraper un rhume, attraper froid.[1]
  3. To catch (a train, a bus).[1][3]
  4. To trick, fool: il m'a bien attrapé.[3][8]
  5. (familiar) To scold, tell off.[8]

Word family

  • attrape
  • attrapeur
  • attrape-nigaud
  • rattraper
  • trappe
  • trappeur

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 17, 355b
  7. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
Cite this entry

“Attraper.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/attraper. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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