TRAPDOOR

Etymology

Noun

trapdoor (plural trapdoors)

A hinged or sliding door set into a floor or ceiling.

(theater) Such a trap set into the floor of a stage to allow fast exits and entrances.

(computing) A secret method of obtaining access to a program or online system; a backdoor.

(mathematics, cryptography) The special information that permits the inverse of a trapdoor function to be easily computed.

(mining) A door in a level for regulating the ventilating current; weather door.

Synonyms

• drop

Source: Wiktionary


Trap"door`, n.

1. (Arch.)

Definition: A lifting or sliding door covering an opening in a roof or floor.

2. (Mining)

Definition: A door in a level for regulating the ventilating current; -- called also weather door. Raymond. Trapdoor spider (Zoöl.), any one of several species of large spiders which make a nest consisting of a vertical hole in the earth, lined with a hinged lid, like a trapdoor. Most of the species belong to the genus Cteniza, as the California species (C. Californica).

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 May 2025

THOUGHTFULLY

(adverb) showing consideration and thoughtfulness; “he had thoughtfully brought with him some food to share”


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Coffee Trivia

The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.

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