Meanings
nounalap (plural alaps)
plural alaps · alternative aalap · alternative alaap · alternative alapa
- entertainmentThe opening, improvised section of a Classical raga performance, before the formal recitation.
The alaap is the part of our classical music that I like best. It is an inward voyage, an odyssey into the unknown.
1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 176
Origin
- Sanskritआलापा
- Sanskritआलापा
- Englishalap
Borrowed from Sanskrit आलापा (ālāpā).
More words from Sanskrit
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
alap. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alap
MLA
“alap.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alap. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alap,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alap.
Source: alap on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.