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capcană

trap /kapˈkanə/

noun#1713 most common

Also: snare, pitfall, trick question

Example sentences

Animalul a căzut în capcană.
The animal fell into the trap.
Vânătorul a pus o capcană în pădure.
The hunter set a trap in the forest.
Ai grijă, întrebarea asta e o capcană!
Be careful, this question is a trap!
Mulți turiști cad în capcana prețurilor mici din piețele turistice.
Many tourists fall into the trap of low prices in tourist markets.
Politicianul a evitat cu abilitate capcana întinsă de jurnaliști.
The politician skillfully avoided the trap laid by journalists.
Economia s-a văzut prinsă într-o capcană a lichidității din care cu greu mai poate ieși.
The economy found itself caught in a liquidity trap it can hardly escape.

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativecapcanăcapcane
Genitivecapcanecapcane
Accusativecapcanăcapcane
Vocativecapcanăcapcane

Word family

capcanătrap (singular)
capcanetraps (plural)
a cădea în capcanăto fall into a trap
capcană fiscalătax trap, a financial pitfall in tax rules

Etymology

Capcană entered Romanian through Bulgarian and Serbian kapkan, which in turn came from Turkish kapan, meaning trap. The Turkish word derives from the verb kapmak, to seize or snatch. Romanian took the word as part of broader Balkan contact with Ottoman Turkish vocabulary, and it settled fully into everyday and figurative use.

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