Where does “lap” come from?

lap (Afrikaans) comes from Dutch lap, from Swedish läpp, from Old Swedish lapper, from Finnish lappalainen, from Finnish -läinen, from Finnish laji, from Old Swedish slagh, from Middle Low German slach — to hit.

lap (Afrikaans): A patch, a rag, a piece of cloth; A plot, a tract

Definitions

  1. A patch, a rag, a piece of cloth; A plot, a tract

Ancestry of “lap”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1DutchlapA rag, a piece of cloth; A patch, a piece of...
2Swedishläpplip
3Old Swedishlapper
4FinnishlappalainenA Sami
5Finnish-läinenFront vowel variant of -lainen
6Finnishlajikind, sort; species; sport
7Old Swedishslagh
8Middle Low Germanslach
9Old Saxonslag
10Proto-West Germanicslagiblow, strike
11Swedishslaggslag metallurgical waste material
12Low Germanslagge
13Middle Low Germanslagge
14Middle Low Germanslānto hit, strike
15Old Saxonslāhanto hit
Every word from Old Saxon slāhan
lap — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer