Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

nappe

 - 2 dictionary results

nappe

[nap]
–noun
1. Geology. a large mass of rock thrust a considerable distance along a nearly horizontal fault plane or in an overturned anticlinal fold.
2. Geometry. one of the two equal sections of a cone.

Origin:
1905–10, Americanism; < F: lit., tablecloth, cloth; OF nappe, nape < L mappa; cf. napkin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To nappe
nappe   (nāp)   
n.  
  1. A sheet of water flowing over a dam or similar structure.

  2. Geology A large sheetlike body of rock that has been moved far from its original position.

  3. Mathematics Either of the two parts into which a cone is divided by the vertex.


[French, tablecloth, nappe, from Old French, tablecloth, from Latin mappa, napkin; see map.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see nappe on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: