lap — the flat area between the waist and knees of a seated person
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: the flat area between the waist and knees of a seated person
Pronunciation (IPA): /læp/
Example Sentences
- My laptop literally lived up to its name when it fell asleep on my lap.
- The baby fell asleep in her mother's lap during the long car ride.
- He's been living in the lap of luxury ever since he won the lottery.
lap
NOUN[/læp/]
the flat area between the waist and knees of a seated person
The little girl sat on her father's lap while he read her a bedtime story.
The swimmer completed another lap of the pool while the coach watched from the edge. (two core meanings: the upper legs when sitting, one complete circuit around a course)
After one lap, the runner checked the map, then gave a quick snap of his fingers before starting again.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Old English 'læppa' originally referred to a fold, flap, or piece of cloth that overlaps or covers. The meaning evolved from describing folded fabric in clothing to denote the area of the lap when seated, and later extended to mean one circuit or circuit in racing and athletic contexts.
Breakdown
læppa (fold, flap, overlap) — a root word in Old English without further morphological decomposition, as it is a primitive noun representing the physical concept of folded or draped material.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My laptop literally lived up to its name when it fell asleep on my lap.”
“The baby fell asleep in her mother's lap during the long car ride.”
“He's been living in the lap of luxury ever since he won the lottery.”
“The cat thinks every keyboard is just a warm lap waiting to happen.”
📚Related Words
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