Snibbed

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. To fasten or secure a latch or bolt; to obstruct or block passage; to close or restrict access temporarily
2. The act of locking or catching a mechanism to prevent movement; the action of denying entry or causing obstruction; fastening a door or window securely
3. Securing by means of a catch or small bolt; causing a blockage or hindrance; closing off an opening to restrict entry or movement

Etymology: Snibbed is the past form of "snib," a verb that means to fasten a door or window with a small bolt or latch. Its roots lie in a much older word for pinching or snipping things off. In Old Norse, "sneypa" meant to rebuff or infringe on someone, and related Scandinavian words, such as Swedish "snoppa," meant to pinch off or squeeze off, even to castrate. The same root gave rise to nouns for a pinched end, or point, such as Swedish "snip," meaning snout or spout, and "snibb," meaning lobe. How the word moved from pinching to latching is unclear. One idea is that early latches were shaped like lobes, so the name transferred from the lobe-shaped object to the latch itself. Another is that "pinching off" shifted in meaning to "closing off," which would fit a latch that shuts a door. A third theory links it to reprimanding, as in locking someone out of a room, and a fourth suggests that "snap," the sound and action of a latch springing shut, may have influenced the form.

Synonyms: latched, bolted, secured, fastened, locked

Antonyms: unlatched, unbolted, unsecured, unfastened, unlocked