Lapping

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈlæpɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The action of a liquid softly touching or washing against an edge ; the process of moving smoothly over a surface by overlapping or gliding ; extending beyond an edge to cover something partly ; beating an opponent by completing a full circuit more quickly
2. When waves or liquid repeatedly strike or caress a shoreline gently ; the act of sliding or passing over something in a smooth way ; reaching beyond the margin to overlap another object ; winning a race by overtaking with a complete lap
3. A gentle repetitive motion of water flowing against a boundary ; the act of moving in smooth contact over a surface ; the condition of covering over part of an adjoining section ; surpassing an opponent by traveling one more lap in a contest

Etymology: "Lapping" is the present participle and gerund of "lap," so its history is really the history of the verb "lap" with the ending "-ing" attached. The suffix is an ordinary English one, added to a verb to form a participle or a noun of action, so the word itself offers no surprises beyond its parts. The verb "lap" carries most of the interest. Its senses split into two families: one about folding or wrapping something over another object, which gives the idea of overlapping, and one about the lick-like motion of liquid against a surface, which gives the idea of waves gently touching a shore. The race sense, completing a circuit, comes from the same idea of a loop or fold going round a course. Middle English forms such as "lappinge" and "lappyng" show the ending was already attached to "lap" by the medieval period, so the combined form is an old one in English. The shore-caressing sense and the overlapping sense are both present in these early uses, which is why the modern word can describe a wave on sand and one sheet of metal over another with no change in its form.

Synonyms: lapping up, lapping over