Trample
/ˈtræm.pəl/noun
To step heavily or crush underfoot.
Did you know?English got *trample* through Dutch from a Germanic root tied to stamping or treading, which is why it feels so physically brutal even today.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*trep- / *treb-
“To tread, step, or press down.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*trampōną
“To stamp or tread heavily.”
Middle Dutch
Dutch
trampelen
“To stamp or trample.”
15th Century
English
tramplen
“To tread heavily; to crush underfoot.”
Modern English
English
trample
“To step heavily on and crush or bruise.”