clap
/klæp/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.54 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "He summoned the waiter with a clap."
- "The deafening claps of thunder and the dazzling flashes of lightning which lit up the ghastly scene testified that the artillery of heaven had lent its supernatural pomp to the already gruesome spectacle."
- "With each clap of thunder echoing from one high building to another the noise was terrific."
- "Off in the distance, he heard the clap of thunder."
- "Give the door such a clap, as you go out, as will shake the whole room."
- "His father's affection never went further than a handshake or a clap on the shoulder."
Etymology
From Middle English clappen, from Old English clæppan, *clappian, from Proto-West Germanic *klappijan, *klappōn, from Proto-Germanic *klappōną (“to clap”). Cognate with Dutch klappen, Icelandic klappa, Faroese klappa and Danish klappe.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: clappen, clæppan, *klappijan, *klappōną, clapoir