flap
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /flæp/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -æp
Etymology 1
From Middle English flap, flappe (“a slap; blow; buffet; fly-flap; something flexible or loose; flap”), related to Saterland Frisian Flappert (“wing, flipper”), Middle Dutch flabbe (“a blow; slap on the face; fly-flap; flap”) (modern Dutch flap (“flap”)), Middle Low German flabbe, vlabbe, flebbe, from the verb (see below). Related also to English flab and flabby.
Noun
flap (plural flaps)
- Anything broad and flexible that hangs loose, or that is attached by one side or end and is easily moved.
- a flap of a garment
- The envelope flap seemed curiously wrinkled.
- 1686, Sir Thomas Browne, chapter VIII, in The Works of the Learned Sr. Thomas Brown: Containing, Enquiries Into Vulgar and Common Errors, etc:
- Again, Beside these parts destin'd to divers offices, there is a peculiar provision for the wind-pipe, that is, a cartilagineous flap upon the opening of the Larynx or Throttle, which hath an open cavity for the admiffion of the air
- 1998 October, Robert H. Mohlenbrock, “Twin Peaks”, in Natural History, volume 107, number 8, page 73:
- The hairs guide the pollinating insect to the base of the petal, where there is a purplish nectary covered by a flap of tissue.
- A hinged leaf.
- the flaps of a table
- the flap of a shutter
- (aviation) A hinged surface on the trailing edge of the wings of an aeroplane, used to increase lift and drag.
- A side fin of a ray.
- Synonym: wing
- The motion of anything broad and loose, or a sound or stroke made with it.
- the flap of a sail
- the flap of a wing
- 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter 4, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, OL 5535161W:
- Then he commenced to talk, really talk. and inside of two flaps of a herring's fin he had me mesmerized, like Eben Holt's boy at the town hall show. He talked about the ills of humanity, and the glories of health and Nature and service and land knows what all.
- A controversy, scandal, stir, or upset.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:commotion
- The comment caused quite a flap in the newspapers.
- 1962, Madeleine L’Engle, “Absolute Zero”, in A Wrinkle in Time, New York, N.Y.: Ariel Books, OCLC 769806129; republished New York, N.Y.: Ariel Books, 1973 printing, →ISBN, page 167:
- “[…] We saw him vanish right in front of the rest of us. He was there and then he wasn’t. We were to wait for a year for his return or for some message. We waited. Nothing.” / Calvin, his voice cracking: “Jeepers, sir. You must have been in sort of a flap.”
- (phonetics) A consonant sound made by a single muscle contraction, such as the sound /ɾ/ in the standard American English pronunciation of body.
- Synonym: tap
- (surgery) A piece of tissue incompletely detached from the body, as an intermediate stage of plastic surgery.
- (slang, vulgar, chiefly in the plural) The labia, the vulva.
- (obsolete) A blow or slap (especially to the face).
- 1450, Palladius on Husbondrieː
- Ware the horn and heels lest they fling a flap to thee.
- a1500 The Prose Merlinː
- The squire lift up his hand and gave him such a flap that all they in the chapel might it hear.
- 1450, Palladius on Husbondrieː
- (obsolete) A young prostitute.
- 1631, James Mabbe, Celestina IX. 110
- Fall to your flap, my Masters, kisse and clip. […] Come hither, you foule flappes.
- 1631, James Mabbe, Celestina IX. 110
Hyponyms
(aviation):
- blown flap
- Fairey-Youngman flap
- Fowler flap
- Gouge flap
- Junkers flap
- plain flap
- slotted flap
- split flap
Derived terms
- (aeroplane): flaperon
- cat flap
- cowl flap
- dog flap
- fireman's flap
- flap copy
- flap-doodle
- flap doodle
- flap gate
- flap seat
- flap steak
- flip-flap
- French flap
- Gundersen flap
- Gurney flap
- in a flap
- lip flap
- majestic flap flap
- majestic flap-flap
- majestic sea flap flap
- majestic sea flap-flap
- mud flap
- pet flap
- piss-flap
- piss flap
- swirl flap
- tail flap
Translations
flap of a garment
|
furniture flap / hinged leaf
|
a side fin of a ray - also termed a flap
|
upset / stir
|
flap of wings etc
|
concerning an aeroplane
|
phonetics
|
surgical tissue
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
|
See also
flap on Wikipedia.Wikipedia - fold
- lappet
Etymology 2
From Middle English flappen (“to flap, clap, slap, strike”), related to Dutch flappen (“to flap”), German Low German flappen (“to flap”), German flappen (“to flap”), Dutch flabberen (“to flit, flap”). Probably ultimately imitative.
Verb
Domestic pigeons flap their wings
flap (third-person singular simple present flaps, present participle flapping, simple past and past participle flapped)
An Australian flag flaps in the wind
- (transitive) To move (something broad and loose) up and down.
- The crow slowly flapped its wings.
- Startled, the wood pigeon flew off, its wings flapping noisily.
- 2004, Robert Jordan, New Spring, page 316:
- He could be flapping his tongue about you right this minute to anybody who'll bloody listen.
- (intransitive) To move loosely back and forth.
- The flag flapped in the breeze.
- 2011 September 29, Tom Rostance, “Stoke 2 - 1 Besiktas”, in BBC Sport:
- Former Turkey goalkeeper Rustu Recber flapped at his first Delap throw but was given a soft free-kick by referee Antony Gautier.
- (computing, telecommunications, intransitive) Of a resource or network destination: to be advertised as being available and then unavailable (or available by different routes) in rapid succession.
Derived terms
- aflap
- flap one's gums
- flapper
- flapping hinge
- flappingly
- unflappable
Translations
to move (something broad and loose) up and down
|
to move loosely back and forth
|
Anagrams
- PLAF
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch flabbe, probably ultimately imitative.
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Noun
flap m (plural flappen, diminutive flapje n)
- flap (something flexible that is loose)
- (colloquial) banknote
Derived terms
- appelflap
- flappentap
- flappen tappen
Spanish
Noun
flap m (plural flaps)
- (aeronautics) flap
Further reading
- “flap”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Volapük
Noun
flap (nominative plural flaps)
- blow, hit
Declension
declension of flap
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | flap | flaps |
| genitive | flapa | flapas |
| dative | flape | flapes |
| accusative | flapi | flapis |
| vocative 1 | o flap! | o flaps! |
| predicative 2 | flapu | flapus |
- 1 status as a case is disputed
- 2 in later, non-classical Volapük only
Derived terms
- flapan
- flapön