verb (used without object)
1.
to sleep for a short time; doze.
2.
to be off one's guard: The question caught him napping.
verb (used with object)
3.
to sleep or doze through (a period of time, an activity, etc.) (usually followed by away ): I napped the afternoon away. He naps away most of his classes.
noun
4.
a brief period of sleep, especially one taken during daytime: Has the baby had her nap?
Origin:
before 900; Middle English nappen (v.), nap (noun), Old English hnappian to sleep; cognate with Middle High German napfen
before 900; Middle English nappen (v.), nap (noun), Old English hnappian to sleep; cognate with Middle High German napfen
Synonyms
1. nod, rest, catnap.
1. nod, rest, catnap.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
the short fuzzy ends of fibers on the surface of cloth, drawn up in napping.
2.
any downy coating, as on plants.
verb (used with object)
3.
to raise a nap on.
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English noppe, Old English -hnoppa (as in wullknoppa, mistake for *wullhnoppa tuft of wool), cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German noppe; akin to Old English hnoppian to pluck
1400–50; late Middle English noppe, Old English -hnoppa (as in wullknoppa, mistake for *wullhnoppa tuft of wool), cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German noppe; akin to Old English hnoppian to pluck
Related forms
nap·less, adjective
nap·less·ness, noun
00:10
Nap
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
-nap
a combining form extracted from kidnap, with the general sense “abduct or steal in order to collect a ransom”: artnap; petnap; starnap.
əˌweɪ
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To nap
Collins
World English Dictionary
nap1 (næp) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb , naps, napping, napped | |
| 1. | to sleep for a short while; doze |
| 2. | to be unaware or inattentive; be off guard (esp in the phrase catch someone napping) |
| —n | |
| 3. | a short light sleep; doze |
| [Old English hnappian; related to Middle High German napfen] | |
| nap2 (næp) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. the raised fibres of velvet or similar cloth |
| b. the direction in which these fibres lie when smoothed down | |
| 2. | any similar downy coating |
| 3. | informal (Austral) blankets, bedding |
| —vb , naps, napping, napped | |
| 4. | (tr) to raise the nap of (cloth, esp velvet) by brushing or similar treatment |
| [C15: probably from Middle Dutch noppe; related to Old English hnoppian to pluck] | |
| nap3 (næp) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | Also called: napoleon a card game similar to whist, usually played for stakes |
| 2. | a call in this card game, undertaking to win all five tricks |
| 3. | horse racing a tipster's choice for an almost certain winner |
| 4. | go nap |
| a. to undertake to win all five tricks at nap | |
| b. to risk everything on one chance | |
| 5. | slang (Austral) not to go nap on to hold in disfavour |
| 6. | nap hand a position in which there is a very good chance of success if a risk is taken |
| —vb , naps, napping, napped | |
| 7. | (tr) horse racing to name (a horse) as likely to win a race |
| [C19: short for | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
nap
"downy surface of cloth," 1440, from M.Du. or M.L.G. noppe "nap, tuft of wool," probably introduced by Flem. cloth-workers. Cognate with O.E. hnappian "to pluck," ahneopan "pluck off," O.Swed. niupa "to pinch," Goth. dis-hniupan "to tear."
nap
O.E. hnappian "to doze, sleep lightly," of unknown origin, apparently related to O.H.G. hnaffezan. The noun is first attested c.1300.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
NAP
|
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
nap
gambling card game played throughout northern Europe under various names and guises. It reached England in the 1880s. Its title may commemorate the deposed Napoleon III.
Learn more about nap with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Following a short and welcome nap, a small group of us met for lunch.
When you sleep for a short time, especially in the daytime, it is called a nap.
Each of the nap files starts with the same opening sounds which serves mostly as a brain trigger to start your sleep cycle.
He didn't realize the problem until he woke from a nap feeling nauseous.
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