lap

lap · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*leb-“to hang loosely”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*lappô“cloth; rag”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*lappō
4. Old English · inherited fromlæppa“skirt or flap of a garment”
5. Middle English · inherited fromlappe
6. English todaylap

From Middle English lappe, from Old English læppa (“skirt or flap of a garment”), from Proto-West Germanic *lappō, from Proto-Germanic *lappô (“cloth; rag”), of uncertain origin, possibly Proto-Indo-European *leb- (“to hang loosely”). Cognate with Dutch lap (“cloth; rag”), German Lappen (“cloth; lobe; flap”), Icelandic leppur (“rag; patch”).

lap · verb, noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*werb-“to bend, turn”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*wlapp-
3. Old English · inherited from*wlappan
4. Middle English · inherited fromlappen“to fold, wrap”
5. English todaylap

From Middle English lappen (“to fold, wrap”) from earlier wlappen (“to fold, wrap”), from Old English *wlappan, *wlæppan, *wlappian (“to wrap”), from Proto-Germanic *wlapp-, *wrapp- (“to wrap, fold, roll up, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *werb- (“to bend, turn”). Cognate with Middle Dutch lappen (“to wrap up, embrace”), dialectal Danish vravle (“to wind”), Old Italian goluppare (“to wrap, fold up”) (from Germanic). Doublet of wrap. Also related to envelop, develop. The sense of "to get a lap ahead (of someone) on a track" is from 1847, on notion of "overlapping." The noun meaning "a turn around a track" (1861) is from this sense.

lap · verb, noun³

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*leh₂b-“to lap, lick”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*lapōną
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*lapōn
4. Old English · inherited fromlapian
5. Middle English · inherited fromlappen
6. English todaylap

From Middle English lappen, from Old English lapian, from Proto-West Germanic *lapōn, from Proto-Germanic *lapōną, *lapjaną (“to lick; lap”), from imitative Proto-Indo-European *leh₂b- (“to lap, lick”); akin to Old High German laffen (“to lick”), Old Norse lepja, Danish labe, Old Saxon lepil, German Löffel (“spoon”). Cognate with Latin lambere (“lick”). French lamper is a loanword from German. Compare Danish leffe, dialect German läffeln.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• 17th century The female pudenda.