kidnap English · revision 55
5 Oct 2026, 20:16 by bogdan “Etymologies from AHD, Etymonline, MW, OED, RHWU, Wiktionary” current version
Initial text
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+ ==Etymology==
+ First recorded in the 1680s as thieves' cant,^(Etymonline)^(Wiktionary) a compound of [[kid]] “child” + ''nap'' “to snatch”, probably a variant of [[nab]],^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) perhaps as a back-formation from [[kidnapper]].^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)
+
+ It originally meant to steal children to provide servants and labourers for the American colonies.^(Etymonline)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}