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diaper

Syllabification: (dia·per)

Pronunciation: /ˈdī(ə)pər/

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Definition of diaper

noun

1a piece of absorbent material wrapped around a baby’s bottom and between its legs to absorb and retain urine and feces.

2a linen or cotton fabric woven in a repeating pattern of small diamonds.
a repeating geometric or floral pattern used to decorate a surface.

verb

[with object]

1put a diaper on (a baby).

2decorate (a surface) with a repeating geometric or floral pattern.

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French diapre, from medieval Latin diasprum, from medieval Greek diaspros (adjective), from dia 'across' + aspros 'white'. The term seems originally to have denoted a costly fabric, but after the 15th century it was used in diaper (sense 2 of the noun); babies' diapers were originally made from pieces of this fabric, hence diaper (sense 1 of the noun) (late 16th century)

diaper in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of diaper in the British & World English dictionary

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