happer

Inherited from Middle French happer, haper, from Old French happer, haper (“to seize, snap up”), of obscure origin. Possibly onomatopoeic. Alternatively, of Germanic origin, either from Proto-West Germanic *happā (“hook, clasp”), or related to Middle Dutch happen (“to snap, bite”) (whence modern Dutch happen), Middle Dutch haperen (“to stammer, quarrel”) (whence modern Dutch haperen), German Low German happen (“to snatch something up, grab”), German Happen (“morsel, snack”).

• ^{(aspirated h)} IPA^(key): /a.pe/

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happer (transitive)

1. to snatch by the mouth, to snap up (typically of animals)

   On lui jeta un os, et il le happa. ― They threw it a bone, and it snapped it up.

2. (figurative) to grab, to seize
   • 2025 June 25, Sandra Lorenzo, quoting Alexandra, “Interdiction des écrans avant trois ans : bientôt un arrêté ?”, in La Provence, sourced from AFP, →ISSN, Grand Sud:

     […] tout en se disant “happée par les écrans” lorsqu'elle doit remplir les formulaires de l'application avec la crainte d'un défaut de surveillance en filigrane.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. (colloquial) to strike forcefully

   Il a été happé par une automobile et tué sur le coup. ― He was hit by a car and killed on the spot.

4. (colloquial) to catch off guard; take by surprise

• happe

• “happer”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Borrowed from Old Norse harpa (“to grip, pinch”).

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happer (gerund happ'thie)

1. (Jersey) to catch

• r'lâchi (“to release”)