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nappy

 - 8 dictionary results

nap⋅py

1[nap-ee]
–noun Chiefly Scot.
liquor, esp. ale.

Origin:
1425–75; late ME noppi. See nap 2 , -y 1

nap⋅py

2[nap-ee]
–noun, plural -pies.
a small shallow dish, usually round and often of glass, with a flat bottom and sloping sides, for serving food.
Also, nappie.


Origin:
1870–75, Americanism; nap (ME; OE hnæp bowl) + -y 2

nap⋅py

3[nap-ee]
–adjective, -pi⋅er, -pi⋅est.
1. covered with nap; downy.
2. (of hair) kinky.

Origin:
1490–1500; nap 2 + -y 1


nap⋅pi⋅ness, noun

nap⋅py

4[nap-ee]
–noun, plural -pies. Chiefly British.
a diaper.

Origin:
1925–30; nap(kin) + -y 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To nappy
nap·py 1   (nāp'ē)   
adj.   nap·pi·er, nap·pi·est
  1. Having a nap; fuzzy: a nappy carpet

  2. Often Offensive Tightly curled or coiled. Used of hair.

nap·py 2   (nāp'ē)   
n.   pl. nap·pies
A round, shallow cooking or serving dish with a flat bottom and sloping sides.

[Probably from dialectal nap, bowl, from Middle English, from Old English hnæp.]
nap·py 3   (nāp'ē)   
n.   pl. nap·pies Chiefly British
A diaper.

[Alteration of napkin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

nappy  (adj.)
"downy," 1499, from nap (n.). Meaning "fuzzy, kinky," used in colloquial or derogatory ref. to the hair of black people, is from 1950.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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