noun
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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
Sensitive Note
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.
Usage
The indigenous people of Lapland prefer to be called Sami , although Lapp is still in widespread use
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
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”)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Current owner, Cris Lapp, told the San Francisco Chronicle that the windows in the main building are reflective from the outside, providing an extra layer of privacy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Lapp, who bought the property in 2022 for $1.3 million, explained to SFGate that he’d heard Parton was inspired to purchase the dwelling because it “reminded her of her grandmother’s home.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
"Then we show them… and they realise they can't tell the difference," says Lapp.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
Ellis III accepted the plea but ordered that Lapp be returned to Butner while he awaited sentencing so he could continue treatment.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2024
Emerson Lapp rolled his eyes to the ceiling and banged his pencil down against the legal pad.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Formerly known as the Lapps, the Sami are believed to have originated in Central Asia and settled with their reindeer herds in Arctic Europe around 9,000 years ago.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 24, 2023
Life among the Swedish Lapps who roam the tundras above the Arctic Circle was a dolorous affair a century ago.
From Time Magazine Archive
The reindeer run around in frightened herds and the Lapps walk among them, trying not to get trampled and swinging their lassos .
From Time Magazine Archive
But he was already being equipped for man's estate: from the mountain Lapps he had a gift of a shield, and from Cousin Count Folke Bernadotte he had a pair of gold cuff links.
From Time Magazine Archive
Some other Eurasian societies, notably the Central Asian pastoralists and the reindeer-herding Lapps and Samoyeds of the Arctic, had domestic animals but little or no agriculture.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
