Lap, lap, v.t. to lick up with the tongue: to wash or flow against.—v.i. to drink by licking up a liquid: to make a sound of such a kind:—pr.p. lap′ping; pa.t. and pa.p. lapped.—n. a motion or sound like lapping. [A.S. lapian; Low Ger. lappen; L. lambĕre, Gr. laptein.]
Lap, lap, n. the loose or overhanging flap of anything: the part of a substance extending over or partly over the rear of another, or the extent of such extension: the part of the clothes lying on the knees when a person sits down: the part of the body thus covered, esp. with reference to nursing, &c.: a fold: a course or round of the track, as in foot-racing, &c.: at euchre, &c., a carrying over to the next game of a surplus of points from the last: the space over which a steam-engine slide-valve travels after the closing of the steam-passage to or from the cylinder: a rotating disc of lead, copper, leather, &c., charged with an abrasive powder, used in cutting gems, &c.—v.t. to lay over or on.—v.i. to be spread on or over: to be turned over or upon.—ns. Lap′-board, a flat wide board resting on the lap, used by tailors and seamstresses; Lap′-dog, a small dog fondled in the lap: a pet dog; Lap′ful, as much as fills a lap.—adj. Lap′-joint′ed, having joints formed by overlapping edges.—ns. Lap′-stone, a stone which shoemakers hold in the lap to hammer leather on; Lap′-streak, a clinker-built boat—also adj.; Lap′work, work containing lap-joints. [A.S. læppa, a loosely hanging part; Ice. lapa, to hang loose, Ger. lappen, a rag.]
Lap, lap, v.t. to wrap, fold, involve.—ns. Lap′per, one who wraps or folds: in cotton manufacturing, a machine which compacts the scutched cotton into a fleece upon the surface of a roller called a lap-roller; Lap′ping, the process of forming a lap or fleece of fibrous material for the carding-machine: the rubbing or polishing of a metal surface: the process of rubbing away the lands, or metal between the grooves of a rifled gun, to increase the bore. [M. E. wlappen, being a form of wrap.]
Lapel, Lappel, Lapelle, la-pel′, n. the part of the breast of a coat which laps over and is folded back.—adj. Lapelled′. [Dim. of lap.]
Lapidary, lap′i-dar-i, adj. pertaining to stones and the cutting of stones: pertaining to inscriptions and monuments.—n. a cutter of stones, esp. precious stones: a dealer in precious stones—also Lapidā′rian, Lap′idarist, Lap′idist.—v.t. Lap′idate (rare), to pelt with stones.—n. Lapidā′tion, punishment by stoning.—adj. Lapid′eous, stony.—n. Lapidesc′ence.—adj. Lapidesc′ent, becoming stone: petrifying.—adj. Lapidif′ic.—n. Lapidificā′tion.—v.t. Lapid′ify, to make into stone.—v.i. to turn into stone:—pr.p. lapid′ifying; pa.p. lapid′ified.—adj. Lapil′liform, having the form of small stones.—ns. Lapil′lus, a fragment of lava ejected from a volcano:—pl. Lapil′li; Lā′pis, a kind of calico-printing with indigo, the resists acting as methods for other dyes, as madder or quercitron; Lā′pis-laz′uli, a mineral of beautiful ultramarine colour, used largely in ornamental and mosaic work, and for sumptuous altars and shrines.—Lapis-lazuli blue, a deep blue, sometimes veined with gold, used in decoration, and in the manufacture of Sèvres and Oriental porcelain; Lapis-lazuli ware, the name given by Josiah Wedgwood to a particular pebble ware veined with gold upon blue. [L. lapidarius—lapis, lapidis, a stone.]
Lapp, lap, n. a Laplander.—n. Lap′lander, a native or inhabitant of Lapland.—adjs. Lap′landish; Lapp′ish.—n. the language of the Lapps.
Lapper-milk, lap′ėr-milk, n. (Scot.) loppered or curdled milk. [Same word as lopper (obs.)—M. E. loper, curdled, prob. conn. with A.S. hléapan, to leap, run. Cf. rennet, runnet, from run.]
Lappet, lap′et, n. a little lap or flap.—adj. Lapp′eted.—n. Lapp′et-head, a head-dress made with lappets for lace pendants. [Dim. of lap.]
Lapse, laps, v.i. to slip or glide: to pass by degrees: to fall from the faith or from virtue: to fail in duty: to pass to another proprietor, &c., by the negligence of a patron, to become void: to lose certain privileges by neglect of the necessary conditions.—n. a slipping or falling: a failing in duty: a fault.—adj. Lap′sable.—The lapsed, the name applied in the early Christian Church to those who, overcome by heathen persecution, fell away from the faith. [L. labi, lapsus, to slip or fall, lapsus, a fall, akin to lap.]
Laputan, la-pū′tan, adj. pertaining to Laputa, a flying island described in Swift's Gulliver's Travels as inhabited by all sorts of ridiculous projectors: absurd: chimerical.