I. ˈlap noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English lappe, from Old English læppa; akin to Old Frisian lappa flap, Old Saxon lappo lappet, Old High German lappa flap, lappet, Old Norse leppr rag, Latin labi to glide, slide — more at sleep
1.
a. : a loose panel or free-hanging flap especially of a garment — called also lappet
b. archaic : the skirt of a coat or dress
with the lap of my coat cast over my face — Sir Walter Scott
c. : the front edges of a jacket or coat that come together in a double layer when closed
2.
a. obsolete : a loose or pendent bodily organ (as a lobe of the liver or the lungs)
b. : a pendent protrusion of the body — usually used in combination
ear lap
dew lap
3.
a.
(1) : the clothing that lies on the knees, thighs, and lower part of the trunk when one sits down
(2) : the front part of the lower trunk and thighs of a seated person
sit on grandpa's lap
b. : an environment of nurture
reared in the lap of luxury
c. : a concave surface resembling that of a lap
a green lake sparkling in the lap of a pine-clad mountain — C.B.Davis
4. obsolete
a. : a fold of a garment used as a repository ; specifically : a chest fold (as of a toga) used as a pocket
b. : bosom
brought back again into the lap of the Romish Church — Edward Bowles
5. : responsible custody : charge , control
going to drop the whole thing in your lap — Hamilton Basso
the outcome of this experiment is in the lap of the gods
the gold of Asia Minor was poured into the lap of the pre-Hellenes — Edward Clodd
II. verb
( lapped ; lapped ; lapping ; laps )
Etymology: Middle English lappen, from lappe, n.
transitive verb
1.
a.
(1) : to fold over or around something : wind
lap a bandage around the wrist
(2) : to enclose in a cover or binding : wrap
lap the wrist in a bandage
b. : to envelop entirely : surround , swathe
life flowed smoothly on lapping him in a changeless amber vacuum — A.J.Shirren
no pains had been spared … to lap them in tasteful and simple luxury — Lucius Beebe
2. : to fold over especially into layers: as
a. : to convert (cotton, wool, flax, or other fiber) into a lap
b.
(1) : to fold (paper pulp) into a lap
(2) : to fold (paper) for packaging by laying one set of sheets halfway along another set and rolling each overlapping end over each overlapped end
3. : to hold protectively in or as if in the lap : cuddle , nestle
legs that were intended to 107 lap her children — A.R.Foff
hills … fruitful valleys lapped in them — Thomas Carlyle
4.
a. : to place over or next to so as to partially or wholly cover : overlap
lap shingles in laying a roof
b. : to unite (as beams or timbers) so as to preserve the same breadth and depth throughout — compare scarf IV 1
5.
a. : to dimension, smooth, or polish (as a metal surface or body) to a high degree of refinement or accuracy with a lap or loose abrasive material
lapping is an abrading process for refining the surface finish and geometrical accuracy of flat, cylindrical, and spherical surfaces — K.B.Lewis
bearing surfaces are ground, lapped, and honed to a precision mirror finish — Joseph Heitner
b. : to work two surfaces together with or without abrasives until a very close fit is produced — often used with in
the valve is hand lapped in its seat with very light pressure and just for long enough to be sure valve is perfectly tight in its seat — H.F.Blanchard & Ralph Ritchen
6.
a. : to lead (an opponent) by one or more circuits of a racecourse
the champion lapped him at the mile
b. : to complete the circuit of
lapped the course in 3 minutes 8 seconds — New York Herald Tribune
intransitive verb
1. : fold , wind
crowds … lapped around the corner — Time
2.
a. : to project beyond or spread over
long enough to lap 1″ over the toepiece — American Girl
rancherias lapped a few miles over the eastern bank of the Sacramento — Julian Dana
b. : to lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
formation flying so tight that the wings lap
the edges of the coat lap deeply
c. : to use newly received funds to cover up a previous shortage : kite
3. : to traverse a course
the experimental racer lapped at unprecedented speed
III. noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
1.
a. : the amount by which one object overlaps or projects beyond another: as
(1) : the distance one course of shingle or slate roofing extends over the second one below
(2) : the part that overlaps to form a seam or joint (as the beveled ends joining sections of an endless belt)
(3) : the distance that a steam-engine slide valve in its middle position has to move to begin to open the steam or exhaust port
(4) : the distance one steel plate overlaps another (as in the shell plating of a ship) — compare lapstrake
b. : the part of an object that overlaps another
the front lap of a winter coat should be at least six inches wide
2. : a smoothing and polishing tool commonly in the form of a piece of wood, leather, felt, or soft metal used with or without an embedded abrasive
3. : a doubling or layering of a flexible substance: as
a. : a fleecy sheet or layer of combed fibers (as of cotton, wool, or flax) usually wrapped on a cylinder and ready to be spun
b. : a sheet of wet paper pulp from a wet machine folded into convenient size for handling and shipping
c. : a surface defect in steel or glass caused by the folding over on itself of a part of the molten material and the failure of the surfaces to unite
d. : a defect in veneering resulting from misplacement of the sheets of veneer so that one overlaps the other rather than forming a smooth butt joint
4.
a. : one circuit around a racecourse
b. : one round of play (as in a game of mancala)
c. : one segment of a larger unit (as a journey or time cycle)
the next thousand-mile lap of our journey — Wendell Willkie
it was the last lap of term — Mavis Gallant
the last lap of a long all-day operation — John Muggeridge
d. : one complete turn (as of a rope around a drum)
5. : points won in excess of the number necessary to win a card game and applied to the score of the next game
IV. verb
( lapped ; lapped ; lapping ; laps )
Etymology: Middle English lapen, lappen, from Old English lapian; akin to Old High German laffan to lick, Icelandic lepja to lap, Latin lambere to lick, Greek laphyssein to devour, gulp down, Armenian lap'el to lick
intransitive verb
1. : to scoop up food or drink with the tip of the tongue
uncover, dogs, and lap — Shakespeare
2.
a. : to make a gentle intermittent splashing sound
waves lapped at their feet — Laura Krey
the lapping of the quiet water — Mary Webb
b. : to move in little waves : wash
when the last wavelet of some old receding ocean lapped over them — C.E.W.Bean
a changing crowd lapped up against the front of the garage — Scott Fitzgerald
transitive verb
1. : to scoop up (food or drink) with the tongue
held her kitten to lap milk — Anne D. Sedgwick
— often used with up
2. : to flow or splash against in little waves
the foundations of the city's buildings have been lapped by tides for centuries and many have been badly eroded — Arnaldo Cortesi
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English lappe taste, from lapen, lappen, v.
1.
a. : an act of lapping
the cat took a lap or two at the saucer
b. : as much as can be carried to the mouth by one scoop of the tongue : lick , taste
saw a pink tongue shoot out … and have a lap of her soup — Newsweek
2.
a. : a thin or weak beverage or food
hounds should be fed … some light broth or lap in the morning — F.M.Ware
b. obsolete : liquor
3. : a gentle splashing sound
the hollow lap of the sea at the foot of the cliff — G.G.Carter
VI.
now chiefly dialect
past of leap
VII. noun
( plural lap or laps )
Etymology: alteration of lop
: a treetop left in the woods after logging : lop I