diaper

American  

[dahy-per, dahy-uh-per] / ˈdaɪ pər, ˈdaɪ ə pər /

noun

diapers plural

1. a piece of cloth or other absorbent material folded and worn as underpants by a baby not yet toilet-trained.

2. Also called diaper cloth.  a linen or cotton fabric with a woven pattern of small, constantly repeated figures, as diamonds.

3. Also called diaper pattern.  such a pattern, originally used in the Middle Ages in weaving silk and gold.

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verb (used with object)

diapers, present (3rd person singular) diapered, past participle, past diapering present participle

1. to put a diaper on.

2. to ornament with a diaperlike pattern.

diaper British  

/ ˈdaɪəpə /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): nappy.  a piece of soft material, esp towelling or a disposable material, wrapped around a baby in order to absorb its excrement

2. 1. a woven pattern on fabric consisting of a small repeating design, esp diamonds

   2. fabric having such a pattern

   3. such a pattern, used as decoration

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verb

1. (tr) to decorate with such a pattern

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undiapered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• diapers
  plural

Participles

• diapering
  present
• diapered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• diaper
  simple
• diapers
  simple
• have diapered
  perfect
• has diapered
  perfect
• am diapering
  progressive
• are diapering
  progressive
• is diapering
  progressive
• have been diapering
  perfect progressive
• has been diapering
  perfect progressive

Past

• diapered
  simple
• had diapered
  perfect
• was diapering
  progressive
• were diapering
  progressive
• had been diapering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will diaper
  simple
• will have diapered
  perfect
• will be diapering
  progressive
• will have been diapering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of diaper

1300–50; Middle English diapre < Anglo-French dia(s)p(r)e < Medieval Latin diasprus made of diaper < Medieval Greek díaspros pure white, equivalent to Greek di- di- ³ ( def. ) + Medieval Greek áspros white

Explanation

A diaper is what babies wear before they’re potty trained. It’s a white cloth or other disposable fabric that’s folded up between the baby’s legs to catch the poop and whatnot. Awwww, isn’t that cute? In many countries, a diaper is also called a "nappy.” A baby can wear a diaper, but you can also diaper a baby, which means to put a diaper on. The word diaper comes from an Old French root, diaspre meaning "ornamental cloth." Over time it also came to mean a "towel or napkin" and by the 1830s, it had the modern sense of a cloth used to swaddle a baby's bottom.

Example Sentences

On Instagram, Diaper Diplomacy’s engagement rate is 748% higher than similar accounts on the platform, and more than double the rate of similar TikTok accounts, according to data from Sprout Social, a social-media analytics company.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

Gardner’s kids, Lucca and Golden — elementary school students with a passion for ginger beer — were Whipper Snapper and Lil Deputy Doo-Doo Diaper, respectively.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2025

And if the Smart Diaper ever fails, there’s always the backup system – a crying baby.

From NewsForKids.net • Apr. 4, 2024

The parents, with minds still muzzy from sleep, retrieved two duffel bags and assessed needs before entering the station: Diaper change for the 1-year-old.

From Washington Times • May 16, 2023

The Diaper Gang had a waiting list for our wagon.

From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

Related Words

• nappy