Lapp
[ lap ]
/ læp /
Save This Word!
noun, plural Lapps, (especially collectively) Lapp.
Also called Lap·land·er [lap-lan-der, -luhn-]. /ˈlæpˌlæn dər, -lən-/. Sami (def. 1).
Also called Lap·pish [lap-ish] /ˈlæp ɪʃ/ . Sami (def. 2).
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Origin of Lapp
First recorded in 1855–60; origin uncertain; possibly from Old Swedish lapper “piece” (the Sami were so poor that they had to patch their clothes); or originally a term of contempt; compare Middle High German lappe “simpleton”; perhaps of Finnish origin; compare Finnish lappalainen “Lapp,”Lappi “Lapland” (meaning “northern wilderness”)
usage note for Lapp
Though Lapp, Laplander, and Lappish are still in use, the people themselves consider these terms to be offensive. They use the name Sami. The reason for the perceived offensiveness of these terms is their possible etymology from an Old Swedish word meaning “piece or patch,” alluding to the patched clothes that the impoverished Sami wore in the past. Lapland is still the acceptable name for the region inhabited by the Sami, though the Sami call it Sapmi.
Words nearby Lapp
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use Lapp in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for Lapp
Lapp
/ (læp) /
noun
a member of a nomadic people living chiefly in N Scandinavia and the Kola Peninsula of Russia
the language of this people, belonging to the Finno-Ugric family
adjective
of or relating to this people or their language
usage for Lapp
The indigenous people of Lapland prefer to be called Sami, although Lapp is still in widespread use
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