diaper

American  

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

noun

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)

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

• undiapered adjective

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

"My daughter was wearing a diaper, they took it off," Amal says.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Because babies’ organs and systems are still developing, exposures can also have outsize effects, said Susan Little, the California legislative director for Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit advocacy organization sponsoring the diaper bill.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

It has also achieved the breakthrough of managing to use the pulp, which makes up the bulk of a diaper, to make new ones.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Israel handed over the diaper bag he’d been carrying around and the baby’s bottles.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

My mom stretches the Velcro on the new diaper into place.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden

Related Words

• nappy