nap

Etymology 1

From Middle English nappen, from Old English hnappian (“to doze, slumber, sleep”), from Proto-West Germanic *hnappōn (“to nap”). Cognate with Old High German hnaffezan, hnaffezzan (whence Middle High German nafzen (“to slumber”) whence German dialectal napfezen, nafzen (“to nod, slumber, nap”)).

noun

1. A short period of sleep, especially one during the day.

verb

1. To have a nap; to sleep for a short period of time, especially during the day.
2. (figurative) To be off one's guard.
   The regulators were caught napping by the financial collapse.

Etymology 2

From late Middle English noppe, nappe, from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German noppe, noppen (“to trim the nap”), ultimately from knappen (“to eat, crack”), of imitative origin. Related to the first element of knapsack.

noun

1. A soft or fuzzy surface, generally on fabric or leather.
   There were low bookshelves, there was a thick pinkish Chinese rug in which a gopher could have spent a week without showing his nose above the nap. 1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin, published 2011, page 37
   THEY CALL IT the "nap of the Earth," that area from the ground to the level of surrounding trees and hills, the thin rug of foliage and rock folds at the Earth's skin line that has become all-important to the United States Army. 1961, Skyline, page 9
   If incorporated in automatic guidance, this practical pursuit adjustment will enhance pilot acceptance of automatic guidance in following nap-of-the-earth profiles with precision. 1987, Some Data Processing Requirements for Precision Nap-Of-the-Earth (NOE) Guidance and Control of Rotorcraft
2. The common direction, on some kinds of fabric, of the hairs making up the pile.
   If the fabric has a nap, make sure all pieces are cut with the nap going the same direction.
   Instead of grinding the pistons straight around the axis, they are ground diagonally with a special-built machine. As a result, the “nap” of the metal is turned in such a way that, when it meets the “nap” of the cylinder wall, both surfaces quickly develop a high finish which removes the danger of scoring a piston. 1969, Classic Car, volumes 17-19, page 32

verb

1. To form or raise a soft or fuzzy surface on (fabric or leather).

Etymology 3

From the name of the French emperor Napoleon I of France.

noun

1. (Britain) A type of bet in British horse racing, based on the experts' best tips.
   4. Races run on English, Welsh or Scottish racecourses. This criterion was included so that media tipsters nap selections in general could be analysed; the source of naps, The Racing Rag 'tipster table', summarises the nap selections of newspaper tipsters, who restrict their selection to horses running at racecourses in these countries. 2005, Leighton Vaughan-Williams, The Economics of Gambling, page 71
2. (uncountable, card games) A card game in which players take tricks; properly Napoleon.
3. A bid to take five tricks in the card game Napoleon.

Etymology 4

Probably of North Germanic origin, from Old Swedish nappa (“to pluck, pinch”). Related to nab.

verb

1. (obsolete) To grab; to nab.

Etymology 5

From French napper, from nappe (“nape”).

verb

1. (cooking) To cover (something) with a sauce. (usually in the passive)
   Vanilla ice cream topped with a poached or canned pear half, napped with chocolate sauce, and garnished with toasted sliced almonds. 2006, Wayne Gisslen, Mary Ellen Griffin, Professional Cooking for Canadian Chefs

Etymology 6

From Middle English nap (“a bowl”), from Old English hnæpp (“a cup, bowl”), from Proto-Germanic *hnappaz (“a cup, bowl”). Cognate with Dutch nap (“drinking cup”), German Napf (“bowl”), Low German Napp (“bowl, cup”), Icelandic hnappur (“button, key”). Doublet of hanap. See also nappy.

noun

1. (Northern England, Scotland) A cup, bowl.