Trap Names a Snare, a Carriage and a Rock
A trap catches animals. Separate traps include a light carriage and a volcanic rock formation.
A trap is a device for catching animals, and by extension any scheme for catching someone out. Two other traps exist. A *trap* is a light two-wheeled carriage, probably from the sense of something quickly set up. And in geology, *trap* names vast stepped formations of solidified lava, from Swedish *trappa*, a staircase — the Deccan Traps in India cover half a million square kilometres. A plumbing trap holds water to block sewer gas, keeping the original idea of catching.
- A catching device. *A mouse trap.*
- A scheme. *Walked into a trap.*
- A light carriage. *A pony and trap.*
- Stepped lava rock. *The Deccan Traps.*
- Old English — *træppe*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | trap | A trap. |
| Verb | trap | Trapping. |
| Past | trapped | Trapped. |
| Agent | trapper | A trapper. |
| Swedish | trappa | A staircase. |
- He set a trap.Catching.
- A pony and trap.Carriage.
- The Deccan Traps are vast.Geology.
The Deccan Traps
- One of the largest volcanic features on Earth
- Formed around 66 million years ago in India
- Covering roughly 500,000 square kilometres
- Named traps from Swedish *trappa*, for their stepped appearance
- Their eruption coincides with the extinction of the dinosaurs
Old English *træppe*, a snare. The geological sense is Swedish *trappa*, a staircase.
Why is a volcanic formation called a trap?
From Swedish trappa, a staircase, because the solidified lava flows form giant steps.
What does a plumbing trap do?
It holds a plug of water in a bend to stop sewer gases rising into the room.