lap

Definition

The loose part of a coat; the lower part of a garment that plays loosely; a skirt; an apron.

Etymology

From Middle English lappe, from Old English læppa (“skirt or flap of a garment”), from Proto-Germanic *lappô (“cloth; rag”), of uncertain origin, possibly Proto-Indo-European *leb- (“to hang loosely”). Cognate with Dutch lap (“cloth; rag”), German Lappen (“cloth; lobe; flap”), Icelandic leppur (“rag; patch”).

Example Sentences

• "The boy was sitting on his mother's lap."