trigger English · revision 6643

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1621|origins=nl trekken}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈtɹɪɡə/ ''(UK)''; /ˈtɹɪɡɚ/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is an alteration of earlier tricker,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) [[bor|nl|trekker|t=trigger]], from [[m|nl|trekken|t=to pull]] (see [[trek]]).^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) Compare German [[m|de|Drücker|t=trigger]], from drücken, to press.^(Etymonline) Tricker remained the usual form until about 1750, perhaps influenced by [[trick]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A catch or lever that releases a spring or mechanism: 1621 as tricker, 1660 as trigger in Barnhart;^(Barnhart 1988) the OED has 1621.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The catch of a firearm, pressed by the finger to fire it, is from 1622.^(OED 1989) Figurative uses are from 1706.^(OED 1989) The ''trigger finger'' is by 1814,^(Etymonline) and ''trigger-happy'' by 1942.^(Etymonline) The verb, to set off an explosion or cause something to happen, is from 1930.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) In electronics a trigger is a signal that causes a change of state (1948).^(OED 1989) The psychological sense, to cause a strong negative emotional reaction, is attested by 1986.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1621 – tricker, a releasing catch.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1660 – the spelling trigger.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1814 – trigger finger.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1930 – the verb.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1942 – trigger-happy.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1986 – to provoke an emotional reaction.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A small lever pressed to fire a [[gun]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A device that releases a spring or catch to set a mechanism working.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # An event or thing that causes something else to happen.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To set off or cause something to happen; to [[initiate]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To fire or set off a device by a trigger.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To cause an intense emotional reaction in someone, especially by reminding them of a [[trauma]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[triggered]]

+ * [[triggerfish]]

+ * [[trigger-happy]]

+ * [[triggerman]]

+ * [[hair-trigger]]

+ * [[trigger finger]]

+ * [[trigger point]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[trek]]

+ * [[trick]]

+ * [[hair trigger]]

+

+ ==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.^(SOED 2002)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}