lap

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“
For the ancient Egyptians the lap was a platform upon which to place the earthly possessions of the dead -- 30 cubits from foot to knee.

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Definitions (96)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (36)

  1. noun The front area from the waist to the knees of a seated person.
  2. noun The portion of a garment that covers the lap.
  3. noun A hanging or flaplike part, especially of a garment.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (42)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (7)

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Examples (50)

  • On his lap was a book, a fine edition of the Histoire de dom B, a piece of illustrated French pornography that was deservedly famous among collectors. —  Title here
  • The man in the armchair with the dark-haired child on his lap was the most fully awake person Aspen had ever seen. —  F ;SF; - vol 099 issue 04-05 - October-November 2000
  • To half-lie about her profession and then drop the conversational burden directly into her lap was a double whammy she hadn't expected. —  Cascade Point
  • The big book that Cathy Franklin held in her lap was a photo album. —  ColdCasefull
  • You can get a free plane ride, although you will all have to fit into three seats - but small children who can fit onto your lap will be allowed to do so. —  The Journal-Standard Homepage RSS
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This word has been looked up 146 times.

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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

knee ·  waist ·  bosom ·  hip ·  shoulder ·  elbow ·  cheek ·  chest ·  lip ·  wrist ·  kiss ·  sleeve

Used in the same contextWord Family

lap:   laps ·  lapped ·  lapping
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (8)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. Middle English lappe, lappet, lap, from Old English læppa, lappet.
  2. Middle English lappen, from lappe, lap, lappet; see lap1.
  3. Middle English lapen, from Old English lapian.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (5)

  1. Early mod, English lappe; from Middle English lappen, from Anglo-Saxon lapian, lick, lap, = Middle Dutch lappen, lapen = Middle Low German lapen, Low German lappen = Old High German laffan, Middle High German laffen = Icelandic lepja = Danish labe = Swedish lapa, lap, lick up, = Welsh llepio = Latin lambere (later English lambent, etc.) = Greek λάπτειν, lap with the tongue, lick. The F. laper, Old French laper, lapper, lick, and lamper, drink (see lampoon), are from Low German Prob. allied to lip, and to L. labium, lip: see lip and labium.
  2. from lap, v.
  3. Early modern English lappe, from Middle English lappe, from Anglo-Saxon læppa, the edge or skirt of a garment, lobe of the ear, a detached portion, a district, = OFries. lappa = Middle Dutch lappe, Dutch lap = Middle Low German lappe = German lappen = Swedish lapp = Danish lap, a lap, loose hanging portion, shred; cf. German lappen, hang loose, = Icelandic lapa, hang down; Latin labi, fall, later lapsus, a falling (see labent, lapse); Sanskrit √ lamb, ramb, hang down. Cf. lop, lop.
  4. Early modern English lappe, from Middle English lappen, earlier wlappen, in another form wrappen, later English wrap, which is thus a doublet of lap: see wrap. Cf. envelop, develop, through French from the same ult. source.
  5. from lap, v. In some uses apparently confused with lap, n.
 

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