neap · noun1
Perhaps of Scandinavian origin: compare dialectal Norwegian neip (“forked pole”).
neap · adjective, verb, noun2
- Proto-Germanic · inherited from*nōpiz“narrow”
- Old English · inherited fromnēp“scant, lacking”
- Middle English · inherited fromneep
- English todayneap
From Middle English neep, from Old English nēp (“scant, lacking”), possibly from Proto-Germanic *nōpiz (“narrow”). Found especially in Old English nēpflōd (“neap tide”, literally “low tide”). Compare Norwegian dialectal nøpen (“scarce, scant, barely enough”).
Words from the same roots
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.