lap3

[lap] /læp/
verb (used with object), lapped, lapping.
1.
(of water) to wash against or beat upon (something) with a light, slapping or splashing sound:
Waves lapped the shoreline.
2.
to take in (liquid) with the tongue; lick in:
to lap water from a bowl.
verb (used without object), lapped, lapping.
3.
to wash or move in small waves with a light, slapping or splashing sound:
The water lapped gently against the mooring.
4.
to take up liquid with the tongue; lick up a liquid.
noun
5.
the act of lapping liquid.
6.
the lapping of water against something.
7.
the sound of this:
the quiet lap of the sea on the rocks.
8.
something lapped up, as liquid food for dogs.
Verb phrases
9.
lap up,
  1. Informal. to receive enthusiastically:
    The audience lapped up his monologue.
  2. to take in (all of a liquid) with the tongue; drink up:
    The cat lapped up her milk and looked for more.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English lappen, unexplained variant of lapen, Old English lapian; cognate with Middle Low German lapen, Old High German laffan; akin to Latin lambere, Greek láptein to lick, lap
British Dictionary definitions for lap up

lap up

verb (transitive, adverb)
1.
to eat or drink
2.
to relish or delight in: he laps up old horror films
3.
to believe or accept eagerly and uncritically: he laps up tall stories

lap1

/læp/
noun
1.
one circuit of a racecourse or track
2.
a stage or part of a journey, race, etc
3.
  1. an overlapping part or projection
  2. the extent of overlap
4.
the length of material needed to go around an object
5.
a rotating disc coated with fine abrasive for polishing gemstones
6.
any device for holding a fine abrasive to polish materials
7.
(metallurgy) a defect in rolled metals caused by the folding of a fin onto the surface
8.
a sheet or band of fibres, such as cotton, prepared for further processing
verb laps, lapping, lapped
9.
(transitive) to wrap or fold (around or over): he lapped a bandage around his wrist
10.
(transitive) to enclose or envelop in: he lapped his wrist in a bandage
11.
to place or lie partly or completely over or project beyond
12.
(transitive; usually passive) to envelop or surround with comfort, love, etc: lapped in luxury
13.
(intransitive) to be folded
14.
(transitive) to overtake (an opponent) in a race so as to be one or more circuits ahead
15.
(transitive) to polish or cut (a workpiece, gemstone, etc) with a fine abrasive, esp to hone (mating metal parts) against each other with an abrasive
16.
to form (fibres) into a sheet or band
Derived Forms
lapper, noun
Word Origin
C13 (in the sense: to wrap): probably from lap1

lap2

/læp/
verb laps, lapping, lapped
1.
(of small waves) to wash against (a shore, boat, etc), usually with light splashing sounds
2.
(often foll by up) (esp of animals) to scoop (a liquid) into the mouth with the tongue
noun
3.
the act or sound of lapping
4.
a thin food for dogs or other animals
See also lap up
Derived Forms
lapper, noun
Word Origin
Old English lapian; related to Old High German laffan, Latin lambere, Greek laptein

lap3

/læp/
noun
1.
the area formed by the upper surface of the thighs of a seated person
2.
Also called lapful. the amount held in one's lap
3.
a protected place or environment: in the lap of luxury
4.
any of various hollow or depressed areas, such as a hollow in the land
5.
the part of one's clothing that covers the lap
6.
drop in someone's lap, give someone the responsibility of
7.
in the lap of the gods, beyond human control and power
Word Origin
Old English læppa flap; see lobe, lappet, lop²
Word Origin and History for lap up

lap

n.

Old English læppa (plural læppan) "skirt or flap of a garment," from Proto-Germanic *lapp- (cf. Old Frisian lappa, Old Saxon lappo, Middle Dutch lappe, Dutch lap, Old High German lappa, German Lappen "rag, shred," Old Norse leppr "patch, rag"), from PIE root *leb- "be loose, hang down."

Sense of "lower part of a shirt" led to that of "upper legs of seated person" (c.1300). Used figuratively ("bosom, breast") from late 14c.; e.g. lap of luxury, first recorded 1802. From 15c.-In 17c. the word (often in plural) was a euphemism for "female pudendum," but this is not the source of lap dance, which is first recorded 1993.

To lap dance, you undress, sit your client down, order him to stay still and fully clothed, then hover over him, making a motion that you have perfected by watching Mister Softee ice cream dispensers. [Anthony Lane, review of "Showgirls," "New Yorker," Oct. 16, 1995]
That this is pleasure and not torment for the client is something survivors of the late 20c. will have to explain to their youngers.

v.

"take up liquid with the tongue," from Old English lapian "to lap up, drink," from Proto-Germanic *lapajanan (cf. Old High German laffen "to lick," Old Saxon lepil, Dutch lepel, German Löffel "spoon"), from PIE imitative base *lab- (cf. Greek laptein "to sip, lick," Latin lambere "to lick"), indicative of licking, lapping, smacking lips. Meaning "splash gently" first recorded 1823, based on similarity of sound. Related: Lapped; lapping.

"to lay one part over another," early 14c., "to surround (something with something else)," from lap (n.). Figurative use, "to envelop (in love, sin, desire, etc.)" is from mid-14c. The sense of "to get a lap ahead (of someone) on a track" is from 1847, on notion of "overlapping." The noun in this sense is 1670s, originally "something coiled or wrapped up;" meaning "a turn around a track" (1861) also is from this sense. Related: Lapped; lapping; laps.

Slang definitions & phrases for lap up

lap

noun
  1. A round of a prizefight (1920+)
  2. A swallow ofliquor; slurp (1940s+)

Related Abbreviations for lap up

lap

laparotomy

LAP

leukocyte alkaline phosphatase
Idioms and Phrases with lap up

lap up

Take in or receive very eagerly, as in She loves to travel—she just laps it up, or The agency is lapping up whatever information their spies send in. This expression alludes to an animal drinking greedily. [ Late 1800s ]

lap

also see:
drop in someone's lap