kidnap
kidnap Lexical Profile
kidnap Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To unlawfully seize, carry away, and detain a person against their will, often in order to demand a ransom or concession.
"In the novel's opening chapter, pirates kidnap the young heir from his coastal estate."
• noun
The unlawful act of abducting and holding a person captive, typically to obtain a ransom or political concession.
"The international agency specialized in negotiating the safe return of hostages in cases of corporate kidnap."
Word Nuance & Usage
Both doubled and single 'p' inflections ('kidnapped'/'kidnapping' and 'kidnaped'/'kidnaping') are acceptable in American English, whereas British and Commonwealth English strictly require the doubled 'p'.
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in late 17th-century English thief slang as a compound of 'kid' (child) and 'nap' (a variant of 'nab', meaning to snatch or seize), originally referring to the practice of stealing children to sell into indentured servitude in the American colonies.