English word origin

Etymology of dap

Onomatopoeic, from the sound made when a person runs while wearing daps.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A plimsoll. · A notch cut in one timber to receive another. · Vulva or vagina.

verb

To run or go somewhere quickly. · To create a hollow indentation. · To drop the bait gently onto the surface of the water.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Onomatopoeic, from the sound made when a person runs while wearing daps.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "expansion": "Onomatopoeic"
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      "glosses": [
        "A plimsoll.",
        "A notch cut in one timber to receive another.",
        "Vulva or vagina."
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To greet with a dap.

noun

Elaborate handshake, especially hooking thumbs. · A fist bump.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

US 1971, originally by black soldiers during the Vietnam war, associated with Black Power movement. Originally an elaborate handshake, later specifically a fistbump. Verb originally give dap. Presumably onomatopoeic, or influenced by tap, dab, etc. Alternatively, from earlier slang usage as abbreviation of dapper. Also explained as an acronym, such as “Dignity for Afro People” or “Dignity And Pride”; this may be a backronym or unrelated, but accords with phrasal use as “give DAP” (compare “give respect”). More speculative etymologies derive it from Vietnamese đẹp (“beautiful”), though this is unlikely.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Non-cognate comparisonđẹpvi

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
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        "nocap": "1"
      },
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    },
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        "2": "đẹp",
        "3": "",
        "4": "beautiful"
      },
      "expansion": "Vietnamese đẹp (“beautiful”)"
    }
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    [
      "give dap",
      "give dap#English"
    ],
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      "tap",
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    ],
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      "dab#English"
    ],
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      "dapper",
      "dapper#English"
    ],
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      "đẹp#Vietnamese"
    ]
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for dap →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-ZGFw