napper - definition of napper by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

nap¹ (n

A brief sleep, often during the day.

intr.v. napped, nap·ping, naps

1. To sleep for a brief period, often during the day; doze.

2. To be unaware of imminent danger or trouble; be off guard: The civil unrest caught the police napping.

[Middle English, from nappen, to doze, from Old English hnappian.]

napper n.

Word History: The famous verse 4 of Psalm 121, rendered in the King James Version as "Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep," is rendered in a Middle English translation as "Loo, ha shal not nappen ne slepen that kepeth ireal." The word nappen is indeed the Middle English ancestor of our word nap. Lest it be thought undignified to say that God could nap, it must be realized that our word nap was at one time not associated only with the younger and older members of society nor simply with short periods of rest. The ancestors of our word, Old English hnappian and its descendant, Middle English nappen, could both refer to prolonged periods of sleep as well as short ones and also, as in the quotation from Psalm 121, to sleepiness. But these senses have been lost. Since the word has become less dignified, we would not find nap used in a modern translation of Psalm 121.

nap² (n

A soft or fuzzy surface on fabric or leather.

tr.v. napped, nap·ping, naps

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

[Alteration (perhaps influenced by obsolete French nape, tablecloth) of Middle English noppe, from Middle Dutch.]

nap³ (n

tr.v. napped, nap·ping, naps

To pour or put a sauce or gravy over (a cooked dish): "a stuffed veal chop napped with an elegant Port sauce" Jay Jacobs.

[French napper, from nappe, cover; see nappe.]

nap ¹

Noun

a short sleep

Verb

[napping, napped]

1. to have a short sleep

2. catch someone napping to catch someone unprepared: they don't want to be caught napping when the army moves again [Old English hnappian]

nap ²

Noun

the raised fibres of velvet or similar cloth [probably Middle Dutch noppe]

nap ³

Noun

1. a card game similar to whist

2. Horse racing a tipster's choice for a certain winner

Verb

[napping, napped]

Horse racing to name (a horse) as a likely winner [shortened from Napoleon]

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	nap - a period of time spent sleeping; "he felt better after a little sleep"; "there wasn't time for a nap" sleep period, period of time, time period - an amount of time; "a time period of 30 years"; "hastened the period of time of his recovery"; "Picasso's blue period" beauty sleep - sleep before midnight kip - sleep; "roused him from his kip"
	2.	nap - a soft or fuzzy surface texture texture - the feel of a surface or a fabric; "the wall had a smooth texture"
	3.	nap - the yarn (as in a rug or velvet or corduroy) that stands up from the weave; "for uniform color and texture tailors cut velvet with the pile running the same direction" pile thread, yarn - a fine cord of twisted fibers (of cotton or silk or wool or nylon etc.) used in sewing and weaving
	4.	nap - sleeping for a short period of time (usually not in bed) cat sleep, catnap, forty winks, short sleep, snooze sleeping - the suspension of consciousness and decrease in metabolic rate siesta - a nap in the early afternoon (especially in hot countries) zizz - a nap; "Arthur's taking a short zizz"
	5.	nap - a card game similar to whist; usually played for stakes Napoleon card game, cards - a game played with playing cards
Verb	1.	nap - take a siesta; "She naps everyday after lunch for an hour" catch a wink, catnap catch some Z's, kip, log Z's, sleep, slumber - be asleep doze, drowse, snooze - sleep lightly or for a short period of time

nap ¹

verb 1. sleep, rest, nod, drop off (informal) doze, kip Brit. (slang) snooze (informal) nod off (informal) catnap, drowse, zizz Brit. (informal)