Nap
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: /nap/
- US IPA: /næp/
- Rhymes: -æp
- Homophones: knap
Origin 1
From Middle English nappen, from Old English hnappian ("to doze, slumber, sleep"), from Proto-Germanic *hnappÅnÄ… ("to nap"). Cognate with Old High German hnaffezan, hnaffezzan (>
Middle High German nafzen ("to slumber") >
German dialectal napfezen, nafzen ("to nod, slumber, nap")).
Synonyms
Verb
- to have a nap; to sleep for a short period of time, especially during the day
- to be off one's guard
- HudibrasI took thee napping, unprepared.
- The regulators were caught napping by the financial collapse.
Derived terms
Origin 2
From Middle English nappe, from Middle Dutch
Noun
nap
(uncountable)- A soft or fuzzy surface on fabric or leather.
- 1591, , by William ShakespeareI tell thee, Jack Cade the clothier means to dress the commonwealth, and turn it, and set a new nap upon it.
- 1851, Herman Melville, ,On his long, gaunt body, he carried no spare flesh, no superfluous beard, his chin having a soft, economical nap to it, like the worn nap of his broad-brimmed hat.
- 1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin 2011, p. 37:There were low bookshelves, there was a thick pinkish Chinese rug in which a gopher could have spent a week without showing his nose above the nap.
Verb
- to form or raise a soft or fuzzy surface on (fabric or leather)
Origin 3
- From the name of the French emperor Napoleon I of France (Bonaparte)
Noun
nap
(plural naps)- (British) A type of bet in British horse racing, based on the experts' best tips
- (uncountable, games) A card game in which players take tricks; properly Napoleon
Derived terms
Origin 4
possibly Scandanavian, cognate with nab, see Swedish nappa ("pinch")
Verb
- (obsolete) to grab; to nab
Derived terms
Origin 5
From French napper, from nappe ("nape").
Verb
- (cooking) To cover (something) with a sauce (usually in passive)
- 2006, Wayne Gisslen, Mary Ellen Griffin, Professional Cooking for Canadian Chefs‎:Vanilla ice cream topped with a poached or canned pear half, napped with chocolate sauce, and garnished with toasted sliced almonds.