Etymology

nappy

N1A1P3P3Y4

Today it means: An absorbent garment worn by a baby or toddler who does not yet have voluntary control of their bladder and bowels or by someone who is incontinent; a diaper. Full definition →

Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

nappy · noun, verb1

A diminutive in -y. The base is probably napkin but possibly French nappe directly (note that napkin is already a diminutive).

nappy · adjective2

From nap + -y.

nappy · noun3

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*hnappaz“bowl, goblet, cup”
  2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*hnapp
  3. Old English · inherited fromhnæp
  4. Middle English · inherited fromnap
  5. English todaynappy

From Middle English nap, from Old English hnæp, hnæpp, hnæpf (“cup, bowl”), from Proto-West Germanic *hnapp, from Proto-Germanic *hnappaz (“bowl, goblet, cup”). See hanaper.

nappy · adjective4

Related to knap.

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishnap all →

nap

Proto-West Germanic*hnapp all →

napNapp

Proto-Germanic*hnappaz all →

naphampernapehanap

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.