snare

See also: Snare

English

Etymology

From Middle English snare, from Old English sneare (“a string; cord”), from Proto-Germanic *snarhǭ (“a sling; loop; noose”). Cognate with Old Norse snara. Also related to German Schnur and Dutch snaar, snoer.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛə(r)

Noun

snare (plural snares)

Bird caught in a snare

Drum fitted with snare wires

1. A trap (especially one made from a loop of wire, string, or leather).
   • 1943, Graham Greene, The Ministry of Fear, London: Heinemann, 1960, Book Three, Chapter One, pp. 196-197,^[1]

     He […] watched Beavis’s long-toothed mouth open and clap to like a rabbit snare.

   • 2013, Richard Flanagan, The Narrow Road to the Deep North, New York: Knopf, 2014, Chapter 18, p. 332,^[2]

     He felt a snare tightening around his throat; he gasped and threw a leg out of the bed, where it jerked for a second or two, thumping the steel frame, and died.

2. A mental or psychological trap.
   • c. 1591 William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 1, Act IV, Scene 2,^[3]

     If thou retire, the Dauphin, well appointed,

     Stands with the snares of war to tangle thee:

   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Exodus 23.33,^[4]

     […] if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.

   • 1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe, London: W. Taylor, p. 193,^[5]

     […] and I had now liv’d two Years under these Uneasinesses, which indeed made my Life much less comfortable than it was before; as may well be imagin’d by any who know what it is to live in the constant Snare of the Fear of Man […]

   • 1865, Elizabeth Gaskell, Wives and Daughters, Chapter ,^[6]

     “ […] riches are a great snare.”

   • 1978, Jan Morris, Farewell the Trumpets: An Imperial Retreat, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Part One, Chapter 9, p. 173,^[7]

     They were devious war aims, and Allenby’s campaign was fought with a maximum of snare and subterfuge.

3. (veterinary) A loop of cord used in obstetric cases, to hold or to pull a fetus from the mother animal.
4. (surgery) A similar looped instrument formerly used to remove tumours etc.
5. (music) A set of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin of a drum to create a rattling sound.
6. (music) A snare drum.

Translations

trap

• Albanian: lak (sq) m
• Arabic: شَرَكٌ m (šarakun), مِصْيَدَةٌ f (miṣyadatun)

  Egyptian Arabic: فخ m (faḵḵ)

• Armenian: թակարդ (hy) (tʻakard), ծուղակ (hy) (cuġak), որոգայթ (hy) (orogaytʻ)
• Aromanian: alats, alatsu
• Bashkir: тоҙаҡ (toźaq)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 陷阱 (zh) (xiànjǐng), 圈套 (zh) (quāntào)

• Czech: oko (cs) n, léčka f, nástraha f
• Dutch: strop (nl),val (nl),klem (nl)
• Finnish: ansalanka (fi)
• French: collet (fr) m
• Galician: ichó m
• Georgian: ხაფანგი (xapangi)
• German: Schlinge (de) f, Falle (de) f
• Gothic: 𐍅𐍂𐌿𐌲𐌲𐍉 f (wruggō)
• Greek:

  Ancient: παγίς f (pagís), βρόχος m (brókhos)

• Hebrew: פַּח (he) m (pakh)
• Irish: dol
• Italian: laccio (it) m, trappola (it) f, tagliola (it) f
• Japanese: 罠 (ja) (わな, wana)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Kurdish:

  Sorani:

• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: laqueus, transenna f, tenus n
• Lü: ᦟᦸᧄ (loam), ᦷᦢᧂᧉᦢᦱᧆ (ḃong²ḃaad)
• Maori: tāhei, rore, toromāhanga, taeke
• Navajo: beeʼódleehí
• Occitan: trapèla f, laç m, sedon m, bagada f, tenda f, tendèla f
• Persian: دام (fa) (dâm), پهند (fa) (pahand), لاتو (fa) (lâtu)
• Polish: sidła n pl, pułapka (pl) fm, sidło (pl) n
• Portuguese: laço (pt) m
• Romanian: cursă (ro), laț (ro), capcană (ro) f
• Russian: сило́к (ru) m (silók), лову́шка (ru) f (lovúška), западня́ (ru) f (zapadnjá)
• Sardinian: latu, lantu, latzu, lassu
• Scottish Gaelic: ribe m
• Spanish: lazo (es) m
• Swedish: snara (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Walloon: bricole (wa) f, laesse m

mental trap

• Czech: mam m, klam m(in the phrase "mam a klam")
• Finnish: ansa (fi)
• Italian: richiamo (it) m, insidia (it) f, trappola (it) f, tentazione (it) f
• Latin: fovea f
• Occitan: trapèla f, tracanard m, trapa (oc) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: armadilha (pt) f
• Russian: лову́шка (ru) f (lovúška), западня́ (ru) f (zapadnjá)
• Scottish Gaelic: ribe m
• Spanish: asechanza (es)

veterinary: obstetric loop

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

music: set of chains strung across the bottom of a drum

• Finnish: virvelimatto
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: laccio (it) m, armonico (it) m, timbro (it) m

music: type of drum

• Czech: virbl
• Finnish: pikkurumpu (fi), virvelirumpu (fi)
• French: caisse claire (fr) f
• Italian: rullante (it) m, tamburo (it) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: werbel (pl) m
• Portuguese: caixa de guerra f, caixa (pt) f, tarol m, tarola f, taró m, caixa clara f, caixa chata f
• Swedish: virveltrumma (sv) c, militärtrumma c

Verb

1. (transitive) To catch or hold, especially with a loop.
   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Lest that too heavenly form […] snare them.

   • c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

     The mournful crocodile / With sorrow snares relenting passengers.

2. (transitive, figurative) To ensnare.

Translations

to catch or hold, especially with a loop

• Italian: prendere al lazo
• Maori: rore, toromāhanga
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: engodar, enlaçar (pt)

Related terms

• ensnare
• snare drum
• snarl

Anagrams

• Naser, Nears, RNase, Saner, Serna, eRNAs, earns, ernas, nares, nears, reans, saner

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Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

snare

1. (deprecated template usage) definite singular of snar
2. plural of snar

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

snare

1. (deprecated template usage) definite singular of snar
2. plural of snar

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Swedish

Adjective

snare

1. (deprecated template usage) definite natural masculine singular of snar

Anagrams

• Arnes, anser, arens, enars, erans, rasen, reans, renas, rensa, resan