Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To arrange or fold (something) about as cover or protection.
  • intransitive verb To cover, envelop, or encase, as by folding or coiling something about.
  • intransitive verb To enclose, especially in paper, and fasten.
  • intransitive verb To clasp, fold, or coil about something.
  • intransitive verb To move (text that will not fit on a line) automatically to the following line.
  • intransitive verb To envelop and obscure.
  • intransitive verb To surround or involve in a specified quality or atmosphere.
  • intransitive verb To engross.
  • intransitive verb To coil or twist about or around something.
  • intransitive verb To be moved automatically to the following line upon reaching a margin. Used of text.
  • intransitive verb To put on warm clothing. Usually used with up.
  • intransitive verb To conclude filming.
  • noun A garment to be wrapped or folded about a person, especially an outer garment such as a robe, cloak, shawl, or coat.
  • noun A blanket.
  • noun A wrapping or wrapper.
  • noun A flatbread, such as a tortilla or lavash, rolled around a filling.
  • noun The completion of filming on a movie.
  • idiom (under wraps) Secret or concealed.
  • idiom (wrapped up in) Completely immersed or absorbed in.
  • idiom (wrapped up in) Involved in.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An article of dress intended to be wrapped round the person, as on a journey; a wrapper.
  • noun In cotton manufacturing, one complete circuit of the measuring mechanism of a warp-beaming machine. The length of the wrap varies according to the details of the mechanism—3,564 yards, more or less.
  • A misspelling of rap.
  • To roll or fold together, as a pliable or flexible object: usually with the preposition around (or round) or about: as, to wrap paper about a book.
  • To envelop; surround; cover by winding something round in folds; muffle: often with up: as, to wrap up a child in its blanket; to wrap the body in flannels.
  • To cover and fasten securely, as in paper or pack-sheet, in order to protect from injury or injurious exposure, as in transit or during storage, or in order to conceal: generally with up: as, to wrap up an umbrella or a book to send by express; to wrap up one's things in a bundle.
  • To conceal by involving or enveloping; hide in a mass of different character; cover up or involve generally.
  • Engrossed in or with; entirely devoted to: as, she is wrapped up in her son; he is wrapped up in his studies.
  • Comprised or involved in, as an effect or consequence.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To wind or fold together; to arrange in folds.
  • transitive verb To cover by winding or folding; to envelop completely; to involve; to infold; -- often with up.
  • transitive verb To conceal by enveloping or infolding; to hide; hence, to involve, as an effect or consequence; to be followed by.
  • transitive verb to be wholly engrossed in; to be entirely dependent on; to be covered with.
  • noun A wrapper; -- often used in the plural for blankets, furs, shawls, etc., used in riding or traveling.
  • transitive verb To snatch up; transport; -- chiefly used in the p. p. wrapt.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To enclose (an object) completely in any flexible, thin material such as fabric or paper.
  • verb transitive To enclose or coil around an object or organism, as a form of grasping. A prerequisite to constriction in snakes.
  • verb transitive or intransitive To finish shooting (filming) a video, television show, or movie.
  • noun A garment that one wraps around the body to keep oneself warm.
  • noun A type of food consisting of various ingredients wrapped in a pancake.
  • noun entertainment The completion of all or a major part of a performance.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the covering (usually paper or cellophane) in which something is wrapped
  • verb crash into so as to coil around
  • verb arrange or or coil around
  • verb enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering
  • noun a sandwich in which the filling is rolled up in a soft tortilla
  • verb arrange or fold as a cover or protection
  • noun cloak that is folded or wrapped around a person

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English wrappen; see wer- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English wrappen ("to wrap, fold"), from Old English *wræppan, *wrappan, from Proto-Germanic *wrappanan (“to wrap, turn, twist”), from Proto-Indo-European *werp-, *werb- (“to turn, twist, bend”). Cognate with Middle English wlappen ("to wrap, lap, fold"), Middle Dutch lappen ("to wrap up"), Danish dialectal vravle ("to wind, wind around"), Middle Low German wrempen ("to wrinkle, scrunch the face"), Old Italian goluppare ("to wrap") (from Germanic). More at lap, envelop.

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Examples

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  • An old camera term that stands for 'wind reel and print', which essentially means that your day's work is over!

    July 31, 2008

  • Cool! I never knew that!

    July 31, 2008