lapping

/ˈlæpɪŋ/

lapping is the present participle and gerund of lap.

Noun

lapping (countable and uncountable, plural lappings)

A kind of machine blanket or wrapping material used by calico printers.
- the iron roller is previously wound round with from 20 to 30 thicknesses of a strong twilled woollen cloth , which is called by the machine printer the lapping , which protects both the calico and the copper roller1830, Samuel Frederick Gray, The Chemistry of the Arts
The process of forming a lap or fleece of fibrous material for the carding-machine.
The rubbing or polishing of a metal surface.
A form of fraud in which payments in the accounts are repeatedly delayed between periods, or diverted between customers, to conceal a theft.
The process of rubbing away the lands, or metal between the grooves of a rifled gun, to increase the bore.
Lengths of fine silk, metal wire, or whalebone wrapped tightly around the stick of the bow of a string instrument adjacent to the leather part of the bow grip at the heel.

Synonyms:

winding
The gentle, rhythmic sound of water splashing against a solid surface.

lap (third-person singular simple present laps, present participle lapping, simple past and past participle lapped)

(transitive) To enfold; to hold as in one's lap; to cherish.
- Her garment spreads, and laps him in the fold.1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Sixth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […]...
(transitive) To rest or recline in someone's lap, or as in a lap.
- to lap his head on lady's breasta. 1839, Winthrop Mackworth Praed, Gog

lap (third-person singular simple present laps, present participle lapping, simple past and past participle lapped or (archaic) lapt)

(transitive) To fold; to bend and lay over or on something.
- to lap a piece of cloth
(transitive) to wrap around, enwrap, wrap up
- to lap a bandage around a finger
(transitive) to envelop, enfold
- lapped in luxury
(intransitive) to wind around

plural	lappings

From Middle English lappinge, wlappynge, equivalent to lap + -ing.

From Middle English lapping, lappyng, lappinge, equivalent to lap + -ing.

1 more rhymesFewer rhymes

What does lapping mean?: Lapping means a kind of machine blanket or wrapping material used by calico printers.
What is lapping the present participle and gerund of?: Lapping is the present participle and gerund of lap.
What part of speech is lapping?: Lapping is a noun.
How do you pronounce lapping?: Lapping is pronounced /ˈlæpɪŋ/.
What is the plural of lapping?: The plural of lapping is lappings.

Adapted from Wiktionary: lapping (page history and authors); lap (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this entry: “lapping.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/lapping. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.