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lap1

Syllabification: (lap)
Pronunciation: /lap/
Translate lap | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of lap

noun

  • 1 (usually one's lap) the flat area between the waist and knees of a seated person:come and sit on my lap
  • the part of an item of clothing, especially a skirt, covering the lap.
  • 2 archaic a hanging flap on a garment or a saddle.

Phrases

fall (or drop) into someone's lap

(of something unexpected) come someone’s way without any effort having been made:not many reporters are lucky enough to have stories fall into their laps

in someone's lap

as someone’s responsibility:she dumped the problem in my lap

in the lap of luxury

in conditions of great comfort and wealth.

Derivatives

lapful

Pronunciation: /-ˌfo͝ol/
noun (plural lapfuls)

Origin:

Old English læppa, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lap, German Lappen 'piece of cloth'. The word originally denoted a fold or flap of a garment (compare with lapel), later specifically one that could be used as a pocket or pouch, or the front of a skirt when held up to catch or carry something (Middle English), hence the area between the waist and knees as a place where a child could be nursed or an object held

lap in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of lap in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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