See Also: Trapdoor(medicine)
trapdoor(dictionary)
trapdoor(dictionary)

trapdoor (iou)



trapdoor noun. LME.
[from TRAP noun1 + DOOR.]
A door or hatch, usu. flush with the surface, in a floor, roof, ceiling, or theatre stage. LME.
b. spec. A door directing the ventilating current in a mine. M19.
Computing. A feature or defect of a computer system which allows surreptitious unauthorized access to data belonging to other users of a computer. L20.
Cryptography. A piece of secret information that makes it easy to solve an otherwise very difficult code. Freq. attrib. L20.
Comb.: trapdoor spider any of various mygalomorph spiders of the family Ctenizidae, which live in burrows closed with a hinged lid and are found in most warm areas.