trappings [LME] Animal traps [OE] have nothing to do with trappings, which go back to Latin drappus ‘cloth’, the source of draper [M17th], drab [M16] originally undyed cloth, and drapery [LME]. In the 14th century trappings were an ornamental harness for a horse, but now people more often use the word in contexts such as ‘the trappings of success’ for the outward signs or objects associated with a particular role or job.