Wrap

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /ɹæp/

Definitions

1. To cover or enclose something by folding or winding material around it
2. To enclose an item by folding or twisting a flexible material around it in order to provide protection or concealment
3. To enclose or surround an object by folding or layering a material around it ; to finish shooting a movie or television show

Etymology: The verb "wrap" comes from Middle English "wrappen," meaning to wrap or fold, but its exact ancestry is uncertain. Scholars have linked it to a cluster of related words in the North Sea region: North Frisian "wrappe," meaning to press into or stop up, Danish dialect "vrappe," meaning to stuff or cram, and Middle Low German "rincworpen," meaning to envelop. These share a sense of pushing material around or tucking it in, which may hint at the word's original picture of bundling something up tightly. A surprising neighbour is "lap." The two are doublets, meaning they descend from the same source by different routes. English also had "wlappen," meaning to wrap, lap, or fold, which sits alongside the Middle Dutch "lappen," meaning to wrap up. Both words grew from the same Germanic stock, so "wrap" and "lap" are close cousins that took slightly different paths into English. The noun "wrap," a garment or covering, appeared as a derivative of the verb, formed from the same Middle English root.

Synonyms: envelop, cover, bundle, pack, fold

Antonyms: unfold, unwrap, expose