Tripped

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /tɹɪpt/

Definitions

1. Lost balance and fell or nearly fell while moving forward or running ; caused an electrical or mechanical device to stop or switch off by triggering a safety mechanism
2. Lost footing and stumbled, often causing a fall ; triggered a circuit breaker or safety switch to interrupt power or function
3. Became unsteady and fell temporarily while walking or running ; set off or deactivated a device by engaging a control or protective system

Etymology: The verb "trip" comes from Middle English "trippen", meaning to tread or step lightly and nimbly, to skip or dance. The Middle English word most likely came from Old French "triper", "to hop or dance around", which in turn drew on a Frankish source; Middle Dutch "trippen", "to skip, hop, stamp", is a close relative. The original idea was light, quick footwork, not clumsiness. The sense of catching a foot and falling is a later development, so the stumbling meaning grew out of the dancing one rather than being its starting point. "Tripped" is simply the past form of this verb, and its electrical sense, where a circuit breaker or safety switch "trips" and cuts power, is a modern extension of the same idea of something suddenly knocked out of its normal position. The word's origins also connect to a sister word in another direction: "trap" and "tramp" are related, sharing the notion of treading or stepping heavily.

Synonyms: stumbled, fell, tumbled, slipped, bumped

Antonyms: stabilized, balanced, stood, remained, continued