Snatch
/snætʃ/noun
To seize or take quickly and suddenly.
Did you know?Snatch is first recorded in English in the 16th century and is thought to be imitative or expressive, which means its sharp sound may have been designed to mimic the quick, snapping motion it describes.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
English
snatch
“To seize or catch up abruptly; to make a sudden grab.”
Middle English
English
snacchen / snatchen
“A sudden seizing or catching at something.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*snakkōną / expressive base
“Likely an imitative base connected with quick biting, snapping, or seizing motions.”
Old English
English
snæccan?
“No secure direct ancestor is attested; the word likely developed later from a Germanic expressive root.”