mobbed
UK[mɒbd]US[mɑːbd]
verb (past tense, past participle)
to be part of a large, often disorderly, crowd of people surrounding or moving towards someone or something.
verb (past tense, past participle)
(of a group of people) to gather around and pay a lot of attention to someone, especially a celebrity.
Morpheme Breakdown
mob
bed
mob
crowd
bed
verb past tense suffix
Etymology
the word 'mobbed' originates from the latin phrase mobile vulgus, meaning "the excitable or fickle common people," which was shortened to 'mobile' and then further clipped to 'mob' in english during the 17th century. this term evolved from describing the populace in general to specifically denoting a large, disorderly, and often aggressive crowd. the addition of the regular past tense suffix '-ed' transforms the noun into a verb form, describing the action of being overwhelmed or surrounded by such a crowd, a meaning that solidified with the rise of celebrity culture and fan behavior.
Analysis
Structure: mob (crowd) + bed (verb past tense suffix)
- mob: from latin mobile vulgus meaning "the fickle common people"; the noun form meaning a disorderly crowd.
- bed: a common english inflectional suffix indicating the past tense and past participle of regular verbs.
Examples
the store was mobbed by shoppers on black friday.
after the concert, the band was mobbed by fans seeking autographs.
the reporters mobbed the politician as he exited the building.