*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of nap

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 s

7 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 7 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 ↗
verb

To have a nap; to sleep for a short period of time, especially during the day. · To be off one's guard.

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

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”)).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "nappen"
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    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
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        "4": "",
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    },
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    },
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    },
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        "1": "gmh",
        "2": "nafzen",
        "3": "",
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      },
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    },
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        "1": "de",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "German"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "nappen",
      "nappen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hnappian",
      "hnappian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*hnappōn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hnappōn"
    ],
    [
      "hnaffezan",
      "hnaffezan#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "hnaffezzan",
      "hnaffezzan#Old_High_German"
    ],
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      "nafzen",
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    ],
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      "napfezen",
      "napfezen#German"
    ],
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      "nafzen",
      "nafzen#German"
    ]
  ],
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        "To have a nap; to sleep for a short period of time, especially during the day.",
        "To be off one's guard."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

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

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

From Middle English nap, from the verb nappen.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionnapenm
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A soft or fuzzy surface, generally on fabric or leather. · The common direction, on some kinds of fabric, of the hairs making up the pile.

verb

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

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

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.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionnoppeenm
  • Derivation mentionnoppegml
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    },
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      "name": "der",
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        "2": "dum",
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    },
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        "1": "en",
        "title": "imitative"
      },
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    }
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    ],
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    ],
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      "noppe#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
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    ],
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    ],
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      "knapsack#English"
    ]
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

A type of bet in British horse racing, based on the experts' best tips. · A card game in which players take tricks; properly Napoleon. · A bid to take five tricks in the card game Napoleon.

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

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "pos": "noun",
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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗
verb

To grab; to nab.

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

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Derivation mentionnappagmq-osw
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "2": "gmq",
        "3": "-"
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    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq-osw",
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        "4": "",
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      },
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
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    ],
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      "nab",
      "nab#English"
    ]
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        "To grab; to nab."
      ],
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Source etymology 6

Original entry ↗
verb

To cover (something) with a sauce. (usually in the passive)

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

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "en",
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    }
  ],
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    ],
    [
      "nappe",
      "nappe#French"
    ]
  ],
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      "glosses": [
        "To cover (something) with a sauce. (usually in the passive)"
      ],
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Source etymology 7

Original entry ↗
noun

A cup, bowl.

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

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionnapenm · a bowl
  • Inherited-form mentionhnæppang · a cup, bowl
  • Inherited-form mention*hnappgmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*hnappazgem-pro · a cup, bowl
  • Cognate mentionnapnl · drinking cup
  • Cognate mentionNappnds · bowl, cup
  • Cognate mentionNapfde · bowl
  • Cognate mentionhnappuris · button, key
  • Doublet mentionhanapen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "2": "bowl"
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    },
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    },
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    },
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      },
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    },
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "hanap"
      },
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    }
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      "hnæpp",
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hnapp"
    ],
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      "*hnappaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hnappaz"
    ],
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      "nap",
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    ],
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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 nap →

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-bmFw