nappy
/ˈnæpi/ noun, verb, adjective
Forms nappies nappying nappied nappier nappiest nappie
- noun (UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand) An absorbent garment worn by a baby or toddler who does not yet have voluntary control of their bladder and bowels or by someone who is incontinent; a diaper.
- verb (transitive) To put a nappy on. “The mother nappied the baby.”
- adjective Having a nap (of cloth etc.); downy; shaggy.
- adjective (US, informal, sometimes offensive) Of hair: tightly curled or twisted; frizzy (often specifically in reference to Afro textured hair)
- adjective (rare) Inclined to sleep; sleepy.
- noun A shallow, flat-bottomed earthenware or glass bowl with sloping sides.
- adjective (of a drink) Foamy; having a large head.
- adjective (of a horse) Nervous, excitable.
- noun (obsolete) A kind of strong ale; nappy ale.
- adjective (Scotland) Brittle.
Synonyms
diaper napkin kinky frizzy fuzzy woolly fuzzy-headed wool-headed wool-pated woolly-headed Afro-textured crisp frizzly
Etymology
A diminutive in -y. The base is probably napkin but possibly French nappe directly (note that napkin is already a diminutive).
From nap + -y.
From Middle English nap, from Old English hnæp, hnæpp, hnæpf (“cup, bowl”), from Proto-West Germanic *hnapp, from Proto-Germanic *hnappaz (“bowl, goblet, cup”). See hanaper.
Related to knap.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Inclined to sleep; sleepy; as, to feel nappy.
- adjective Tending to cause sleepiness; serving to make sleepy; strong; heady; as, nappy ale. [Obs.] Wyatt.
- adjective Having a nap or pile; downy; shaggy. Holland.
- noun A round earthen dish, with a flat bottom and sloping sides.
Etymology [From 1st Nap.]
Etymology [From 3d Nap.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “nappy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details