kidnapped
Meaning
past tense and past participle of kidnap.
having been taken away illegally by force, typically to obtain a ransom.
Structure
Usage
the wealthy industrialist's son was kidnapped and held for a million-dollar ransom.
the police finally rescued the kidnapped journalist after a tense week of negotiations.
feeling utterly kidnapped by the tedious meeting, she stared longingly out the window.
Etymology
the word 'kidnapped' is built upon the verb 'kidnap', which emerged in the late 17th century. it is a compound formed from 'kid', a slang term for a child, and 'nap', a colloquialism meaning to seize or steal. the term originally described the criminal practice of stealing children, often to provide servants or laborers for the american colonies. the addition of the regular past tense suffix '-ed' creates the specific form denoting the completed action, with its meaning expanding over time to include the abduction of adults for ransom or other motives.
Analysis
kid: from middle english kide, meaning a young goat or child. of scandinavian origin. nap: a variant of nab, meaning to seize or snatch. of uncertain origin, possibly scandinavian. ped: a suffix indicating the past tense and past participle form of regular verbs in english.