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catnap

[kat-nap]
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noun
  1. a short, light nap or doze.
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verb (used without object), cat·napped, cat·nap·ping.
  1. to doze or sleep lightly.
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Origin of catnap

An Americanism dating back to 1815–25; cat + nap1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for catnapping

Historical Examples

  • It wasn't deep, but it had cost him blood and pain and the few minutes of catnapping he might have snatched.

    Duel on Syrtis

    Poul William Anderson

British Dictionary definitions for catnapping

catnap

noun
  1. a short sleep or doze
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verb -naps, -napping or -napped
  1. (intr) to sleep or doze for a short time or intermittently
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for catnapping

catnap

n.

also cat-nap, cat's nap, by 1823, from cat (n.) + nap (n.). A nap such as a cat takes. As a verb from 1859.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper