trapped

UK: træpt | US: træpt

Definition

  1. adj. unable to move or escape from a place or situation

  2. vt. (past tense of "trap") caught or confined by a trap

Structure
trap <snare/device for catching>ed <past participle suffix>
Etymology

The word "trap" originates from Old English træppe (snare, trick), likely derived from Proto-Germanic trap- (step, tread), reflecting the idea of stepping into a hidden device. The suffix "-ed" marks the past tense or passive state, forming "trapped" to describe being caught or confined. The logic follows the physical action of ensnaring (trap) and the resulting state (-ed).

Examples

  1. The fox was trapped in the hunter's snare.

  2. She felt trapped in her dead-end job.

  3. The miners were trapped underground after the collapse.

  4. His arm got trapped in the elevator doors.

  5. The mouse escaped before being trapped.