Definition
Third person singular present tense: to take someone away illegally and hold them against their will, often for ransom.
Etymology
From 'kid' (child) + 'nap' (to seize suddenly), combining two words to describe the act of stealing children. The term originated in the 1680s during European colonial expansion.
Kelly Says
The word 'kidnap' was literally invented in the 1600s to describe a specific crime that had become common—colonists were stealing poor children from Britain to sell as servants in America. The combination of 'kid' and 'nap' shows how new crimes sometimes require entirely new words.
Translations
ARالعربية
اختطاف
i-kht-taaf
BNবাংলা
অপহরণ
o-po-ha-ron
CSČeština
vyplácení
vee-pla-tche-ni
DADansk
kidnappinger
kid-nap-ping-er
DEDeutsch
Entführungen
ent-fyuh-ren
ELΕλληνικά
απαγωγή
a-pa-go-ghi
ESEspañol
secuestros
seh-kwe-stros
FAفارسی
kidnapping
kid-nap-ping
FISuomi
kidnappings
kid-nap-ping-s
FRFrançais
enlèvements
on-lay-mahn
HIहिन्दी
अवैध अपहरण
a-vaidh a-pah-ra-n
HUMagyar
túsolás
toos-o-las
IDBahasa Indonesia
penculikan
pen-cu-li-kan
ITItaliano
rapimenti
ra-pi-men-ti
MRMR
अभिगृहीत
a-bi-gri-heet
MSBahasa Melayu
penculikan
pen-cu-li-kan
MYမြန်မာ
ဖိုးလုပ်
ho-le-lu-p
NLNederlands
ontvoeringen
on-t-vo-e-rin-gen
NONorsk
kidnappinger
kid-nap-ping-er
PLPolski
porwania
por-va-nya
PTPortuguês
sequestros
seh-kwest-ros
RORomână
raptiri
ra-ptir-i
RUРусский
Похищение
po-khis-te-niye
SVSvenska
motsäkringar
mo-tsa-krin-gar
SWKiswahili
kuteka
koo-te-ka
TAதமிழ்
கடத்தல்
ka-dat-tal
TEతెలుగు
కురిపివే
ku-ri-pi-ve
THไทย
menculik
me-khoo-lik
TLTL
pagkidnap
pa-gkid-nap
TRTürkçe
Kaçırmalar
ka-chirm-alar
UKУкраїнська
викрадення
vi-kray-den-nya
URاردو
ابduction
a-b-duk-shun
VITiếng Việt
bắt cóc
bat cok
ZUZU
ukuthwala
oo-koo-thwa-la