snatch

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English snacchen, snecchen (“to snap; seize”), from Old English *snæċċan, *sneċċan, from Proto-West Germanic *snakkjan, from Proto-Germanic *snakjaną (“to whiff, sniff, catch wind of; to taste-test, nibble”), related to Proto-Germanic *snakōną (“to breathe, blow, sigh”) and *snakkōną (“to blather, jabber, chatter”). Cognate with Middle Dutch snacken (“to snap [of a dog]”), Norwegian Nynorsk snaka (“to snatch [of animals]”). Related also to Dutch snakken (“to sob, pant, long for”), Low German snacken (“to chatter”), German schnacken (“to chat”), Danish snakke (“to chat”) and Norwegian snakke (“to chat”). Related to snack. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /snæt͡ʃ/ Rhymes: -ætʃ === Verb === snatch (third-person singular simple present snatches, present participle snatching, simple past and past participle snatched) (transitive) To grasp and remove quickly. (intransitive) To attempt to seize something suddenly. Synonym: grab (transitive) To take or seize hastily, abruptly, or without permission or ceremony. 1731-1735, Alexander Pope, Moral Essays when half our knowledge we must snatch, not take (transitive, informal) To steal. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:steal (transitive, informal, figurative, by extension) To take (a victory) at the last moment. (transitive, informal) To do something quickly in the limited time available. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Noun === snatch (plural snatches) A quick grab or catch. A short period. (weightlifting) A competitive weightlifting event in which a barbell is lifted from the platform to locked arms overhead in a smooth continuous movement. A piece of some sound, usually music or conversation. (vulgar slang) The vulva. [from 18th c.] Synonyms: cunt, twat (aviation) Rapid, uncommanded jerking or oscillation of the ailerons of some aircraft at high Mach numbers, resulting from shock wave formation at transonic speeds. (dated) A brief period of exertion. (dated) A catching of the voice. (dated) A hasty snack; a bite to eat. (dated) A quibble. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === === Anagrams === Chants, chanst, chants, stanch