lapse

English

Etymology

From Middle French laps, from Latin lapsus, from labi (“to slip”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /læps/, SAMPA: /l{ps/
• Rhymes: -æps

Noun

lapse (plural lapses)

1. A temporary failure; a slip.
2. A decline or fall in standards.
3. A pause in continuity.
4. An interval of time between events.
5. A termination of a right etc, through disuse or neglect.
6. (weather) A marked decrease in air temperature with increasing altitude because the ground is warmer than the surrounding air. This condition usually occurs when skies are clear and between 1100 and 1600 hours, local time. Strong convection currents exist during lapse conditions. For chemical operations, the state is defined as unstable. This condition is normally considered the most unfavorable for the release of chemical agents. See lapse rate.
7. (law) A common-law rule that if the person to whom property is willed were to die before the testator, then the gift would be ineffective.

Synonyms

• (a temporary failure, slip): blooper, blunder, boo-boo, defect, error, fault, faux pas, fluff, gaffe, mistake, slip, stumble, thinko

Derived terms

• time-lapse

(common law rule):

• anti-lapse

Related terms

• lapsarian

Translations

a temporary failure; a slip

Catalan: lapsus (ca) m. French: erreur (fr), faute (fr)

Polish: błąd (pl) m., pomyłka (pl) f., potknięcie (pl) n. Spanish: lapso (es)

Verb

lapse (third-person singular simple present lapses, present participle lapsing, simple past and past participle lapsed)

1. (intransitive) To fall away gradually; to subside
2. (intransitive) To fall into error or heresy
3. To slip into a bad habit that one is trying to avoid.
4. (intransitive) To become void

Anagrams

• leaps
• pales
• peals
• pleas
• salep
• sepal

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Danish

Noun

lapse c.

1. plural indefinite of laps

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Latin

Participle

lāpse

1. vocative masculine singular of lāpsus