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nap¹

(năp)

A brief sleep, often during the day.

intr.v. napped, nap·ping, naps

1. To sleep for a brief period, often during the day; doze.

2. To be unaware of imminent danger or trouble; be off guard: The civil unrest caught the police napping.

[Middle English, from nappen, to doze, from Old English hnappian.]

napper n.

nap²

(năp)

A soft or fuzzy surface on fabric or leather.

tr.v. napped, nap·ping, naps

To form or raise a soft or fuzzy surface on (fabric or leather).

[Alteration (perhaps influenced by obsolete French nape, tablecloth) of Middle English noppe, from Middle Dutch.]

nap³

(năp)

tr.v. napped, nap·ping, naps

To pour or put a sauce or gravy over (a cooked dish) in a thin, even layer: "a stuffed veal chop napped with an elegant Port sauce" (Jay Jacobs).

[French napper, from nappe, cover; see NAPPE.]

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nap³

nap⁴

(năp)

a. A trick-taking card game in which the players are each dealt five cards and everyone bids the number of tricks they intend to take, with the highest bidder deciding the trump.

b. The first bid of five tricks in this game, the maximum number in a hand. Also called napoleon.

2. See napoleon¹.

[Short for NAPOLEON.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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