triggered
Meaning
Reacting in an extreme, especially an angry or frightened, way to something because of past trauma or a strong emotional association.
Caused a device or mechanism to function; initiated or set off a process or event.
Structure
Usage
The loud noise triggered the car alarm.
He felt triggered by the film's graphic content, which reminded him of his own traumatic experience.
The new policy triggered a wave of protests across the country.
Etymology
The word 'triggered' originates from the earlier noun 'trigger,' which entered English in the 17th century from the Dutch 'trekker,' meaning 'pull' or 'that which pulls,' specifically the lever of a crossbow or firearm. The core concept is a mechanism that, when pulled, initiates a larger, often rapid and powerful, sequence of events. This literal sense of 'setting off a device' evolved metaphorically to mean 'initiating any process.' The modern adjectival usage, describing a strong emotional or psychological reaction, is a direct extension of this metaphor: an external stimulus 'pulls the trigger,' setting off a pre-existing, often intense, internal response linked to past experience.
Analysis
- trigg: From Dutch trekker (that which pulls, a trigger), from trekken (to pull). Its functional role is the core root meaning "to pull." - er: An English agentive suffix, here indicating an instrument or thing that performs an action (e.g., "puller"). - ed: A suffix forming the past tense and past participle of verbs, and subsequently adjectives from those participles (e.g., "a pulled lever" -> "triggered").