Where does “laps” come from?
laps (Middle French) comes from Latin lāpsus, from Latin lābor, from Old Latin labos, from Romanian labă, from Hungarian láb, from Proto-Uralic luwe, from Proto-Iranian *Hrawpācáh, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hrawpāćás — fox.
Ancestry of “laps”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | lāpsus | gliding, sliding, slipping, falling |
| 2 | Latin | lābor | work |
| 3 | Old Latin | labos | — |
| 4 | Romanian | labă | palm; paw |
| 5 | Hungarian | láb | leg; foot; support, stand |
| 6 | Proto-Uralic | luwe | bone |
| 7 | Proto-Iranian | *Hrawpācáh | fox |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | *Hrawpāćás | fox |