Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lap

/læp/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.18 in modern English

Syllables
lap
IPA
/læp/
5
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The loose part of a coat; the lower part of a garment that plays loosely; a skirt; an apron.

noun

An edge; a border; a hem, as of cloth.

noun

The part of the clothing that lies on the knees or thighs when one sits down; that part of the person thus covered.

noun

A place of rearing and fostering.

noun

The upper legs of a seated person.

noun

The female pudenda.

Archaic

noun

A component that overlaps or covers any portion of itself or of an adjacent component.

verb

To enfold; to hold as in one's lap; to cherish.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

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”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: lappe, læppa, *lappō, *lappô, *leb-, lappen

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /læp/
  • British English: /læp/

Usage

Inflected Forms

laps (plural) laps (present, singular) lapping (participle, present) lapped (participle, past) lapped (past) lapt (archaic, participle) lapt (archaic, past)

Derived Forms

earlap headlap lapboard lapdance lapdog lapel lapful lapheld lapless laplike lapling lapmark

Phrases

drop into someone's lap fall into one's lap fall into someone's lap in the lap of the gods land in someone's lap lap band lap belt lap cat

Frequently Paired Words

burlap knee grind lap cheong

Synonyms

lick circle circuit overlap lap covering lave wash lap up

Antonyms

unlap

Rhymes With

app map cap gap crap trap tap snap wrap rap slap scrap

Questions

How do you pronounce lap?
The recorded pronunciation is /læp/.
What does lap mean?
The loose part of a coat; the lower part of a garment that plays loosely; a skirt; an apron.
Where does lap come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce lap

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lap”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/læp/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lap”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “lap” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.