nap

Meanings

Noun

• A short period of sleep, especially one during the day.
• A soft or fuzzy surface, generally on fabric or leather.
• The common direction, on some kinds of fabric, of the hairs making up the pile.
• A type of bet in British horse racing, based on the experts' best tips.
• A card game in which players take tricks; properly Napoleon.
• A bid to take five tricks in the card game Napoleon.
• A cup, bowl.

Verb

• To have a nap; to sleep for a short period of time, especially during the day.
• To be off one's guard.
• To form or raise a soft or fuzzy surface on (fabric or leather).
• To grab; to nab.
• To cover (something) with a sauce.

Origin

• From Middle English nappen, from Old English hnappian ("to doze, slumber, sleep"), from Proto-Germanic *hnappōną ("to nap"). Cognate with Old High German hnaffezan, hnaffezzan (whence Middle High German nafzen ("to slumber") whence German dialectal napfezen, nafzen).
• From late Middle English noppe, nappe, from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German noppe, noppen, ultimately from knappen, of imitative origin. Related to the first element of knapsack.
• From the name of the French emperor Napoleon I of France.
• Probably of North Germanic origin, from Old Swedish nappa ("to pluck, pinch"). Related to nab.
• From French napper, from nappe.
• From Middle English nap ("a bowl"), from Old English hnæpp ("a cup, bowl"), from Proto-Germanic *hnappaz ("a cup, bowl"). Cognate with Dutch nap ("drinking cup"), German Napf ("bowl"), Low German Napp ("bowl, cup"), Icelandic hnappur ("button, key"). hanap. See also nappy.