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Added 9 October 2026

lapse

/læps/ noun

Latin root: lāpsus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about lapse at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A mistake resulting from inattention.
A break or intermission in the occurrence of something.
a lapse of three weeks between letters
A failure to maintain a higher state.

verb

Pass into a specified state or condition.
He sank into nirvana
End, at least for a long time.
The correspondence lapsed
Drop to a lower level, as in one's morals or standards.

Origin

From Middle French laps, from Latin lāpsus, from lābī (“to slip”). Doublet of lapsus.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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