Trespassing

How to spell trespassing

11 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce trespassing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does trespassing mean?

1. verbEntering or remaining on someone's land or property without legal permission.
2. nounThe act of unlawfully entering or occupying another person's land or property.

Trespassing in a sentence

• verb

  The surveyor warned that we were trespassing on the neighbour's field.

• noun

  A large sign at the entrance stated that trespassing is strictly prohibited.

• verb

  Two teenagers were caught trespassing in the abandoned factory.

• noun

  The landowner posted notices warning that trespassing would be reported to the police.

Where does trespassing come from?

Language of origin: French

The word descends from the Old French verb trespasser, meaning 'to pass across' or 'to go beyond', which combined tres- (from Latin trans, meaning 'across' or 'over') with passer, 'to pass'. English took it on around the year 1300, and the original idea was very literal: to step over a boundary or cross a line you should not have crossed. From there it broadened to mean any wrongdoing or overstepping, which is why older religious texts speak of forgiving people their 'trespasses', meaning their sins or offences. The narrower modern sense, entering someone else's land without permission, kept the literal flavour of physically crossing a boundary. The double s in the middle is the main spelling trap, and it survives directly from the French passer, the same root that gives us the everyday word 'pass'.

How the word is built

• tres- (across, from Latin trans)
• pass (to step or pass)
• -ing (present participle / gerund suffix)